Undercover
by Joe's girl
Summary: Tony is working for the CIA again, but not by his own choice. Will he survive this mission? A sequel to Escape to Argentina You don't have to read that story to understand this one.
1. CTU Again

_Ok, I'm in 24 withdrawal. How about you? To break the monotony until my favorite show returns, I decided to write another fanfiction. _

_This story takes place five years after Escape to Argentina (which took place right after season 3). Reading that story first is not necessary, but you may find it helpful. I will try and fill you in on any necessary details. A couple of things did differ from the end of season3, though. Chase never lost his hand and David Palmer ran for reelection and won but resigned part way through his term due to poor health._

_If you read, please, please, please review. It really helps to know if you like the story or not. _

_Otherwise, just the usual disclaimers, I don't own any of the characters, yadda, yadda, yadda... _

Chapter 1: CTU Again

"Mr. Almeida"

Tony looked away from his monitor as his secretary's voice came through the intercom. "Yes, Rita" he answered absently.

"I have Brad Hammond on line one for you."

"Thanks, Rita, put him through." Tony sighed. There were few people that could ruin a day as quickly as Brad Hammond.

"Brad," Tony said shortly.

"Obviously this isn't a social call, Tony," was the curt response. The two wasted little time with niceties. Tony knew Brad was only calling because CTU needed his help. As always, Tony wanted to refuse, but couldn't. If he did, he would go to prison for the next twenty years.

Almost seven years earlier Tony was charged with treason for putting the safety of his wife above that of the country. He had done so willingly and never tried to deny it, but with life in prison or even the death penalty looming over him, he decided to escape the country, a country he had defended and served for more than a decade, and move to Argentina. He spent twenty months in Argentina during which time he was tried _in absentia_ in a US court, convicted of treason against the United States and sentenced to twenty years without the possibility of parole. He was eventually pardoned by President David Palmer just prior to Palmer's resignation and he returned to the United States, to his beloved Michelle and to a one year old daughter he had only seen for a few days when he snuck into the country to visit her six weeks after her birth.

When David Palmer announced that he was pardoning Tony, the pardon was considered 'unconditional', but Tony knew otherwise. He would not be employed by the US government, would not receive the pension he had earned, but he would have to be available to the CIA whenever they needed him. When he put his signature to the paper agreeing to this clause of the pardon, Tony knew what it meant and he didn't like it. He would now be at the beck and call of the CIA. They could give him any kind of assignment or mission and he could not refuse. Refusal would instantly void the pardon agreement and he would go to prison. He could have chosen not to sign the agreement, but he would have been forced to live the rest of his life as a fugitive. He would either have to continue living without Michelle and his daughter Sophie or they would have to live in exile with him. Neither choice was acceptable to him, so he signed the agreement and came home. Michelle was the only person outside of the CIA who knew the terms of the pardon; Tony suspected that Jack knew. Tony and Michelle also suspected that Jack may have agreed to similar terms to keep from being charged with crimes relating to the last day they spent together at CTU. Jack had taken a couple of spur of the moment vacations and business trips over the years that were very out of character for him. Each time, Tony and Michelle were sure that he was on some sort of mission. Jack never confirmed or denied their suspicions.

Tony felt fortunate that over the course of the last five years the CIA had only called on him twice. Both times it was to help run tactical at CTU. The first time was just a few months after he returned home. Hammond had called him that night around midnight. He went into CTU and was briefed. It was a huge mission and they needed several people to run tactical. Tony assisted by monitoring satellite feeds and managing the response of local authorities. It wasn't hard and he enjoyed the old feeling, the buzz he got during the tense moments before success was achieved. The second call was not as fulfilling. Again he was called upon to help run tactical during a big mission. This was almost three years after they last called him. Technology had changed and Tony was no longer up to date. He found himself playing catch up while agents' lives hung in the balance. Three agents were killed during the raid. It wasn't Tony's fault, but he felt guilty and felt that if he had been up to date with the government's technical advances, that their deaths could have been prevented. Since then Tony hadn't been called in to help and he secretly hoped that they had learned their lesson and wouldn't call him in again. With Brad Hammond on the phone now, he knew he was wrong.

"I didn't expect you were calling to see how Michelle and the kids were." Tony answered not even trying to disguise his disdain for Hammond.

"No, I need you to meet me for lunch. I have reservations at Tyson's at 1 o'clock for us."

"Brad, I work for a living, remember. I have appointments already scheduled for today. I can't just drop everything and go to lunch. If we can't discuss this over the phone, you can meet me at my office or I can meet you at Division. Tyson's is 45 minutes from my office; it's not convenient for me."

"Going to prison wouldn't be particularly convenient either, I assume."

"I didn't refuse to meet with you, Brad. I just refused to meet at Tyson's."

"You don't seem to understand, Tony, but then you never did. You can't have it your way; you don't have a choice. You meet me at Tyson's at one or there will be federal marshals crawling over your office and your home. It'd be a damn shame for your kids to see you hauled away in handcuffs. I guess it would be pretty upsetting for Michelle, too, especially since she's pregnant again." Tony sat back, stunned by this statement. Michelle was pregnant, but despite that fact that she was four months pregnant, she really wasn't showing and they had not told anyone yet. Brad was obviously keeping very close tabs on him. "You always did have trouble keeping your pants zipped; first Nina, then Michelle. Of course, at least if you were in prison, Michelle wouldn't have to worry about being pregnant all the time."

Tony was seething but Brad had him over a barrel. "Tyson's at one," he said trying desperately to control his anger.

"See you then," Brad replied with a chuckle.

Tony looked at his schedule for the day then called his secretary on the intercom. "Rita, do me a favor, please. Reschedule all of my appointments between 12 and 3. I think I can make the 3 o'clock and if I can't I'll call you. I have to be out of the office for a while."

"Mr. Almeida, I've had to reschedule Christopher Alban from Southwest Regional Oil twice now. He's only going to be in LA a couple of days. I don't think he's going to happy about this."

"I'm not happy about this either." Tony said, his irritation coming through in his voice. "That's a big contract. I need that business, but something else came up. See if he's free for dinner tonight. I'll take him to his favorite restaurant. Maybe that will make him happy."

Tony finished up some work and met with a client at 11 o'clock. He was preoccupied though; he wondered why Hammond wanted to meet him in a neutral location. The other times Hammond had called, Tony had simply been instructed to report to CTU. He didn't have a good feeling about this.

Tony picked up his briefcase, put on his suit jacket and started out of his office. "Mr. Almeida, I was able to reschedule your appointments. You're meeting Mr. Alban at Tia Maria's at 6:30. Should I call Mrs. Almeida or will you?"

Tony rubbed the scar on the left side of his neck, a habit he had developed over the years which usually indicated that he was feeling stressed. "I guess I better call her." He knew this was not going to be a pleasant phone call.

"I'll see you when you get back." Rita smiled.

Tony waved at her and left the office. Once on the road he picked up his phone to call his wife. He sighed as he listened to the phone ring. Until three months ago he thought he was the luckiest man alive. He had a stunningly beautiful wife who he loved beyond all measure and she felt the same way about him. They had three healthy, happy children. Sophie was six now and would start first grade in the fall. She was the sunshine of his life. No matter how bad his day was, when he saw Sophie, none of it mattered. She melted his heart. He loved his sons as well. Joe was four and all boy; if there was a mud puddle near by, Joe found it. Tony loved kicking a soccer ball around with him or playing catch with a baseball. The baby, John Dessler, who Tony had nicknamed 'Dess', (a nickname that quickly caught on among family and friends but that Michelle refused to use) was a year old. He had been the most difficult of their children and both Tony and Michelle had lost countless hours of sleep with this child. He was beginning to settle down and sleep more, and their life was starting to return to normal. Through it all, Michelle had not lost her sense of humor. She was a wonderful mother. She had worked part time in the business that she and Jack and Chase started after they all left CTU up until the time Dess was born, then she quit to spend more time at home. She loved spending her days with her children and looked forward to Tony coming home in the evening. It was almost and idyllic existence.

His happy world was turned upside down three months ago. He came home that night as usual to be met at the door by his precious Sophie quickly followed by Joe. They filled him in on their day, both talking at the same time. Tony kissed them and laughed at their stories. "Where's Mommy?" He asked.

"She's upstairs." Sophie announced. "She's not in a very good mood."

"She's not? What happened?" Tony asked as he picked Sophie up in his arms. "Did you guys do something wrong?"

"No, Daddy. Mommy just hasn't been happy today." Sophie said with a very serious look on her face.

She acted so grown up as she said that. She's six going on twenty-six, Tony thought. "Well, let me go talk to her." He put Sophie down and she ran off to play.

Tony climbed the stairs and found Michelle silently changing Dess' diaper. Her silence was unusual; she normally chatted or sang to him while she changed his diaper.

"Hey, Babe," Tony said as kissed her cheek and put his arm around her waist. Michelle made no attempt to return his kiss. "Hey, big guy!" He said to his son as he tickled the baby's chubby belly. Michelle finished the task at hand and picked the baby up.

"We need to talk." She said shortly as she walked toward the stairs. "Sophie, come here, please." She called down the stairs.

Sophie bounded up the stairs like an eager puppy. "Sweetie, do me a favor and watch your brother for a couple of minutes. Keep him in his room, out of trouble and away from the stairs. Can you do that?"

"Sure, Mom" she responded confidently.

Inwardly Tony cringed at Michelle asking Sophie to watch Dess. As the oldest of eight children, Tony spent much of his childhood and youth being responsible for younger siblings. He had always promised himself that he would never do that to his children, but at the moment he thought it was better not to disagree with Michelle.

He followed Michelle into their bedroom and closed the door. Michelle went into the bathroom and walked out with what Tony immediately recognized as a pregnancy test kit. The test showed a positive result.

"Guess what," Michelle said in a flat emotionless voice.

Tony smiled broadly. "You're pregnant!" He said happily.

"In case you haven't noticed, I'm not quite as happy about this as you are, Tony." Michelle said as tears filled her eyes. She walked into the bathroom and threw the used test kit into the trash with a loud thud.

Tony followed her and took her into his arms. "Sweetheart, what's wrong? We've talked about having another child. I thought we agreed on one more."

Michelle pulled away from him; she was crying now. "Yes, I agreed to one more, but not right now. John is barely a year old. I'm just beginning to get to sleep at night and now it's going to start all over again. I've been pregnant four times in the last six years. That's a lot, Tony. This is easy for you. You had your fun." She said bitterly. "Now I'm stuck for the next nine months carrying this baby while I try to chase after three little kids. I'm at my breaking point, Tony!"

Tony was both surprised and hurt. "Sweetheart," he reached for her but she shrugged him away. He closed his eyes not quite sure what to say next. "Sweetheart, I don't know what to say. If you had told me that you didn't want to get pregnant for a while, we could have taken precautions. I had no idea. You haven't exactly said 'no' to me lately, Honey. If you don't mind my saying so, you've always been a willing participant when we made love."

"I realize that, Tony. I didn't mean to blame you. I'm just so upset right now. And I'm angry with myself for not being happy, but I can't help it."

"Honey, if you need help around the house, we can get someone to help out. After the kids go to bed tonight, let's sit down and think this through. I hate to see you so upset." She finally let him hold her. She continued to cry and nothing he said could make her feel any better.

Tony felt sure that Michelle would be fine in a couple of days after the initial shock wore off, but he was wrong. The days turned into weeks and Michelle sunk deeper and deeper into depression. She became quiet and pensive and cried over everything. She refused to tell anyone that she was pregnant and made Tony promise not to tell anyone either. Even Sophie and Joe realized that something was wrong. Receiving little attention from Michelle all day, they demanded Tony's constant attention in the evening. They both became dependent and clingy and wanted Tony to do everything for them. Michelle began to resent the relationship that Tony had developed with the two older children that seemed to exclude her. This began to put further strain on their relationship as a couple.

Tony began to worry obsessively about Michelle. He called her doctor who had also noticed the change in Michelle. She told Tony that this was not uncommon, although Michelle seemed a little more depressed than most of the patients she had seen, but it usually started to resolve after a few months and rarely continued through the entire pregnancy. She suggested that Tony sit tight for a while and ride out the current storm. Tony wasn't entirely satisfied with that answer but wasn't sure what else he could do. He was trying to help more around the house in addition to spending more time with the kids and keeping up at work. The stress was beginning to wear on him and what he really didn't need right now was Brad Hammond on his back.

Michelle finally picked up the phone. "Hello," she said, her voice listless, almost sad.

"Hi, Sweetheart," he said lovingly. "How are you?"

"Tired. What's up?" Her one and two word answers were driving him crazy.

"Something came up, Babe. I have to take a client out for dinner, so I'll be late getting home. Is that okay?"

"Do I have a choice?"

"Sweetheart, believe me, if I could get out of this I would. There is potential here for a big contract with Southwest Regional Oil. This is a contract that I need right now, especially if we want to look at a bigger house.

While Tony lived in Argentina, he worked with a former Argentine government agent who provided security and tracking for high value cargo being shipped across oceans and continents. Usually they handled cargo such as oil, big shipments of cars or electronics or sometimes smaller but expensive items such as precious metals, diamonds and art work. When Tony was pardoned and moved back to the US, he became a partner and opened up a branch office in LA. Tony managed all of the shipments to and from the west coast of North America, all of Asia and the Pacific and occasionally Australia and the west coast of Africa. His partners, Juan Rodriguez and Pedro Cabrera, continued to work out of Argentina, but Pedro was considering moving to London to open up a branch there as well.

The LA branch of Secured Shipping and Tracking was doing well under Tony's leadership, but he was hoping to increase his gross so he could afford to hire some additional help. He was working a lot of hours and doing a lot of traveling and really needed some help. Juan and Pedro weren't going to agree to hiring someone unless he could show that he could maintain the profit margin. Tony could offer to reduce his salary in order to get some help, but being a single income family now and with another baby due in a few months, he couldn't afford to do that.

"I understand, Tony. Just get home as soon as you can." Michelle answered.

"I will, Honey, you know that. I hate being away from you and the kids. Why don't you see if Kate could watch Joe and Sophie for a couple of hours? That way, when Dess goes down for his nap you can sleep, too." Tony was referring to Kate Bauer, Jack's wife. Jack and Kate had two sons, Mason and Ryan. Mason was a few months older than Joe and Ryan was just six weeks older than Dess.

"I'll think about it." Michelle answered. Tony knew she wouldn't do it. She had been avoiding most of their friends for weeks now.

"Michelle, do you know how much I love you? Sweetheart, it is killing me to see you this way. Please tell me what I can do to make you happy again."

"I'll be okay, Tony. Really, I will. I'm starting to get used to the idea of another baby." She paused. "We're going to have to tell people soon, aren't we?"

"Ya, you're not going to be able to hide it much longer." The phone crackled with static. "Honey, I'm driving out of the cell. I'll talk to you later. I love you."

"Bye," was her monosyllabic response.

Tony threw the phone down on the passenger seat and shook his head. He wished somehow he could go back in time about four months and start again. It was a pipedream and he knew it. For now he would have to cope as best he could.


	2. Field Agent Almeida

_Hi and thanks to everyone who read and reviewed Chapter 1. It is really encouraging to get reviews. So if you're reading and haven't reviewed, just click the submit reivew button and let me know how I'm doing. I accept anonymous review, so you don't even have to sign your name._

Chapter 2: Field Agent Almeida

It was just a few minutes before one o'clock when Tony pulled into the parking lot of Tyson's Restaurant. He walked in and was greeted by Brad Hammond. Brad was a large, gray haired man, about twenty years Tony's senior. He was a bureaucrat who firmly believed in using any modicum of power given him by his position. He had been a thorn in Tony's side more than once while Tony was CTU director. It was Hammond that insisted that Tony be charged with treason when he tried to exchange Jane Saunders for Michelle. Tony had always believed that he could have talked anyone other than Hammond out of charging him. Even as unreasonable as Ryan Chappelle and George Mason could be at times, Tony felt he could have reasoned with either of them.

The men shook hands and Tony followed Brad to a table in a quiet section of the restaurant. Neither said much until they had placed their orders and the server was out of earshot. Brad opened his briefcase and handed Tony a folder. Tony opened it to find several pictures of an Asian man roughly 60-65 years old along with a dossier.

"You do business is South Korea. Have you ever seen this man?"

"No, should I know who he is?"

"The name he uses is Yuen Lim. We don't know his real name. On the surface, he's a South Korean business man. He exports cheap souvenirs, collectibles, trinkets, that sort of thing. As best we can figure, his family was killed during the Korean War. His village was caught in the crossfire between the North Koreans and a unit of US and South Korean soldiers. The story is that most of the village evacuated, but his family couldn't leave because his mother was in labor, about to give birth. Some wayward shells hit the village. His family's home was destroyed. His father was killed instantly and his mother was hit; she slowly bled to death. The baby died probably of starvation after a day or so. They couldn't get any medical help. Yuen was about nine and he was left with a little sister who was about six. They had to fend for themselves until other villagers returned and helped them. Apparently the sister never recovered emotionally. She was in an institution for most of her life and she eventually killed herself when she was twenty or so.

"Yuen believed the bombs that killed his family were fired by the US and South Korean unit. He has an unfettered hatred for both America and South Korea. He was eventually recruited by North Korea as an intelligence agent. At this point, even they disavow any connection with him." Brad paused as their server placed an iced tea in front of him. He stirred in two packets of sugar while he waited for the server to leave.

"So he's a rogue agent?" Tony asked.

"Basically," Hammond agreed and he took a drink from his glass. "He has a number of small terrorist cells in South Korea. They've been blamed for some terrorist activity throughout South Korea, a car bombing, a couple of kidnappings. They haven't claimed responsibility, but our best intelligence available says that Yuen's group is responsible. We've also arrested a couple of South Korean brothers in this country who were planning small scale terrorist strikes. They won't admit any connection to Yuen, but we're sure they're part of his network. They're both serving time in prison near Chicago. Neither one of them is exactly collecting any good behavior points either. Both have been segregated from the general prison population for inciting the other prisoners. A couple of guards were injured in the latest melee. At this point, they are both serving 30 year sentences.

"We've infiltrated his operation in South Korea. Our operative there tells us that he has sleeper cells in the US. He plans to ship shoulder fired missiles and rocket propelled grenade launchers to his people in the US to start full scale terrorist activities in this country. He'll have the ability to bring down commercial airliners with those missiles.

The server returned with their orders. The two sat in silence while he set down plates and brought drink refills. Tony was contemplating what Brad was telling him wondering where he fit in to all of this. Obviously it had something to do with his doing business in South Korea, but he wasn't sure what.

"How much do you know about the cells in the US?" Tony asked.

"Less than nothing." Brad answered between bites. "We don't have names, locations, number of operatives, nothing.

Tony looked at his watch, it was already 1:30, and he wanted to get back to his office. "So let's cut to the chase, Brad. What do you need from me?

"Yuen is going to need help shipping the RPGs and missiles to the US. You're going to help him."

"I'm not in the shipping business, Brad. I secure and track. The last thing this guy wants is satellite tracking of his illegal shipments."

"Ah, but you know plenty of shippers, Tony. You do business with them every day. Our operative will give Yuen your name. Tell him the kind of business you do. Give him a little history on you. How you and your wife served your country faithfully and how you were charged with treason for trying to save her. How the country deserted you. How you were forced to live as a fugitive."

"Ya, except that I also got a Presidential pardon and came back to the US to live happily ever after. Remember?"

"But Yuen would understand that you might still be bitter. You were kept from your family for almost two years, missed the birth of your child, lost your job and your pension. He would have no trouble believing that you're bitter. So if you could make some money moving arms into the US, well that might just make you feel vindicated."

"This is a stretch, Brad."

"Not if you're act is convincing. Yuen has to believe that you would sell out your country for a few million dollars." Hammond paused to eat a bite. "Yuen's people will contact you later this week. Push for a face to face meeting early next week."

"I do limited business in Korea. If I travel over there every two years, that's a lot and I was there earlier this year. Everyone, especially Michelle, is going to question this trip. My secretary knows we don't have any new business in Korea. Even if Yuen contacted me this week interested in retaining my company's services, it would take me a couple of weeks of negotiation and contract development before we would sign anything. And then, I would only go to Korea for a really big contract. Otherwise, I do everything over the phone and on line and via courier service."

"Look, Tony, how you explain yourself is your business. I suggest you come up with something because if you blow your cover, you're dead. If Yuen so much as thinks he smells a US agent, he won't hesitate to kill you." Hammond stared at him, obviously quite serious.

Tony could feel his heart pound. He wasn't a field agent, although he had done some undercover work while he was at CTU; this was out of his league. "Brad, I understand that I have no right to refuse a mission, but I wasn't a field agent. I have no experience in this kind of undercover operation. I'd like you to reconsider."

"Almeida," Hammond said his anger rising, "if I had anyone else to send or could develop a quick cover for anyone else, I would do it. You weren't even on my short list of possible agents and if I had any other choice, you wouldn't be sitting here."

Tony closed his eyes for a second. "Brad, as you mentioned on the phone, Michelle is pregnant. I'm not sure how you know that since my parents don't even know it yet, but obviously you've managed to keep better track of my family than I would have thought."

"Get to the point, Almeida."

"My point is this, I have three small children and a pregnant wife. Without getting into my personal life, things are not good at home right now. I have restricted my travel to occasional overnights only. In fact, my partners in South America have picked up some of the slack for me and taken some of my overseas trips. I can't leave the country for a five or six day trip right now. I know the condition of my pardon, but even you Brad must be able to understand that this is the wrong time and the wrong mission for me. If I were a paid agent, you would consider my family situation before sending me on an overseas mission. I know full well that it was James Prescott who talked President Palmer into putting this condition on my pardon." Prescott was Palmer's Vice President who ascended to the office of the President when Palmer resigned. Prescott's hatred of Tony went back to the day the nuclear bomb was detonated in the desert. Jack and Tony and Michelle's dogged pursuit of the truth behind the Cypress audio had ultimately made Prescott look like a fool. "David Palmer never intended for me to be used this way. I've talked to him about it. He expected me to be used occasionally as a consultant."

"I don't read minds, Almeida. I have no idea what Palmer was thinking when he put that condition in your pardon. Right now, you have no choice but to accept this assignment. This isn't just your freedom at stake here. You know, for the last six years I have turned a blind eye to the fact that your wife is guilty of aiding and abetting a known fugitive when she helped you hide out at the beach house after your daughter was born. I could easily play my trump card and have her charged. The statute of limitation hasn't run out on that yet."

"You have no evidence that I was in the country at that time, Brad. If you did you would have arrested me and charged Michelle when it happened." Tony said defiantly.

"You can believe what you want. Are you willing to risk Michelle's freedom? You think things are bad at home now, it's going to be really tough if Michelle goes to prison. That's an ugly scene, Tony. She has baby number four in the hospital ward, then you take him home without a mother. So I think you better reconsider your position."

Tony looked away and swallowed hard. Brad had hit a nerve. He really didn't believe that Hammond had any evidence of his secret trip into the US while he was a fugitive but he couldn't put Michelle at risk. "Alright, give me the details."

Hammond told him that they wanted him to meet with Yuen as soon as reasonably possible, but Tony shouldn't look overly anxious. In the first meeting, Yuen would be expected to tell Tony he needed to get illegal cargo into the US and they would negotiate Tony's price. Again, Tony needed to be reasonable, but not look too accommodating by accepting a low offer.

Hammond went on to explain to Tony that Yuen would want to get a shipment into Los Angeles. Tony was to tell Yuen that he had a shipper in mind to help them. Hammond had already gotten Bob Warner, CEO of Warner Enterprises to agree to help him. Tony was surprised to hear of Bob Warner's involvement. He had been a casual agent for the CIA, in other words, he had helped them pass information between departments or agencies. This ended when his daughter Marie's involvement with terrorists was revealed. Bob had no connection with the terrorists, but the CIA could take no chances with him; they reluctantly cut him lose. He had been a valuable asset and they hated to lose him, but the publicity of having the father of a traitor and terrorist sympathizer working for the CIA was something the agency didn't need. Later when Marie was trying to make a plea agreement to avoid execution, Bob had agreed to terms similar to Tony's. He would be available to help the C IA any time they asked. It seemed the least he could do to save his beloved daughter. He already felt that he had somehow let her down; that something he had done while raising her had caused her to end up siding with the terrorists.

At that point the meeting should end. Tony would tell Yuen that he would work out the details and get back to him. Once back in the US, Tony would meet with Brad to finalize the plans and put them in motion.

"You do business with Asia Technology Limited, right?" Brad asked

"Obviously you've checked out my tax returns." Tony said bluntly. How else would Hammond know who he did business with?

"Yes, and you are making more money than I would have expected, Almeida. Congratulations. Playing fugitive in Argentina worked out well for you in the end. "

Tony ignored the snide remark. "ATL is my biggest contract. Why? What do they have to do with Yuen?" ATL handled sales for many of the large computer components manufacturers across Asia. They were a multibillion dollar corporation and Tony's company secured and tracked their shipping worldwide. Rarely did a day go by that he wasn't tracking one or another of ATLs shipments.

"They aren't involved, but we may have to involve them in the plan. Make sure you meet with someone from ATL while you are in Korea. If Yuen decides to follow you, which he most likely will, it will help if you are seen with a representative of ATL."

"Look, Brad," Tony said, his anger rising. "It's bad enough I have to go along with this plan, please don't involve my clients. I can't afford to piss off ATL right now. If they take their business elsewhere, I not only lose that contract, but I get a black eye all over Asia and I lose my other contracts as well. Private industry isn't like working for the government, Brad. I only bring home a paycheck if I can produce. You bring home a paycheck as long as you show up every day."

"We won't actually involve ATL in any of this. They will not stand to get hurt and they will never know that you were in any way involved. For what it's worth, you have my word on that, not that I think that provides you any comfort."

Tony rolled his eyes. "You know what irritates me the most about you. Brad? You can't stand that I have moved on and have made a good life for myself. It isn't enough that I lost twenty months of my life living in Argentina because you insisted on pressing charges against me and going for the maximum penalty. You have to show up five years later and send me off on a mission that could cost me my livelihood assuming, of course, that I even survive. Jesus, Brad, I was almost killed working for CTU. I still have the scar to prove it. How much more do you guys need from me?"

Brad looked at him silently then bowed his head. "You're all we've got right now, Tony. I don't have anyone else that can come up with a decent cover story quick enough to get close to Yuen. We just found out about this shipment last week. We've been burning the midnight oil all week to figure out how to stop Yuen. We don't have any other viable plan. Yuen is an imminent threat to US security. We have to stop him and I have no where else to turn." Brad paused and looked up to meet Tony's gaze. "Once this is over, you are off the hook. I'll write a letter to your personnel file recommending that you are never called in on a mission again."

Hammond paid the check and the two stood and left the restaurant in silence.

"Tony," Brad said as they walked toward their cars. "I don't need to tell you that no one can know about this operation. Michelle, your secretary, your family, they all have to believe you are going to Korea on business. The success of this mission and your safety depend on secrecy." Tony nodded silently, he was well aware of what was at stake.

Tony left Tyson's and headed for his 3 o'clock appointment. Fortunately, the appointment was scheduled at his client's office and not his own, or he never would have made it on time. As he drove, he thought over the plan. Other than having to be out of the country for a few days, it all seemed pretty innocuous. He shouldn't have a lot of trouble pulling it off. If Brad thought Tony would have to 'act' about being bitter, he was only partially right. Not that he spent a lot of time dwelling on it any more, but he did still harbor some bitterness toward Hammond and the government for pressing treason charges. He knew it was his own decision to leave the country, but he was also bitter about the 20 months he spent without his family and especially about missing Sophie's birth and the first year of her life. And although he would be eternally grateful to David Palmer for pardoning him, he remained somewhat angry that it had taken Palmer so long to do it and for putting in this clause that made him a pawn for the CIA.

He finally arrived at home at 9:30 that evening. Tony sighed as he put the key into the lock and opened the side door. The house was quiet. He knew the kids would all be in bed by now but Michelle wasn't usually in bed this early. He found her curled up on the sofa in the family room. She had a book opened on her lap, but she was staring off into the distance.

"Hi, Sweetheart," Tony said as he smiled at her. He hoped she would smile back, but she didn't.

"Hi," she replied as Tony leaned over and kissed her. She turned her head to offer him her cheek, but he touched her chin and turned her face so that he could kiss her lips.

"Guess what. I got the contract with Southwest Regional Oil." He sat down beside her. "This is a big contract, Honey. What do you think? Maybe we could start looking for a new house. We've talked about it."

"If you want to, that's fine with me." She answered quietly.

"How was your evening? Did the kids give you a hard time?" Tony was tired and didn't feel like playing this game. He just wanted the old Michelle back.

"Well, Joe and Sophie were unhappy that you weren't home. As usual, they wanted you to give them a bath and play with them. You're spoiling them, Tony. Then when you aren't here, I can't give them all of that attention and they get mad."

"Come on, Michelle." Tony was exasperated and it came through in his voice. He stood up and started pacing around the room. "I don't spoil them! I pay attention to them. You used to do that, too. Michelle, we can't continue this way. You won't even kiss me. I know you aren't happy about being pregnant again, but there simply is nothing I can do to change that. You need to stop taking it out on the kids. They should not have to suffer because of something they had no control over. I've told you to get someone to help you around the house or to watch the kids a few hours a day so you can get some rest or have some time to yourself. But you won't do it." He paused for a moment and looked at her. He didn't realize until then that she was crying. "Oh, Honey," he whispered. He sat down next to her and tried to take her in his arms, but she pushed him away. "I'm sorry, Baby. I didn't mean to get so angry." Michelle got up from the sofa and walked away from him. Tony stood up and followed. "Honey, I'm sorry." He shook his head. "Michelle, I'm worried about you. Honey, talk to me. Maybe we need to get some counseling." He reached out and grabbed her shoulder and turned her toward him.

He decided to broach the subject of his upcoming overseas trip with her. "Look, Babe, I'm going to have to go to Korea for a few days probably late next week..."

"What! Tony you can not do this to me. I thought we agreed that you wouldn't travel overseas for a while."

"This is unavoidable. I'm having some contract issues with one of my big clients." He hated lying to her. "But when I get back, how about if I arrange for my parents to take the kids for a few days and we can go away, just the two of us. Maybe we'll go to the beach house." Tony was referring to the house where they had hidden out while he was a fugitive. It was a secluded cottage well off the main road that backed up to about 100 years of private beach. Some of their happiest moments were at that house. They had been back to the house three times since Tony returned from Argentina and each time had been special.

"Really?" Michelle asked. She smiled slightly. It wasn't the big smile that lit up her face that Tony had fallen in love with, but it was the closest to a real smile that he had seen in months. "Oh, Tony, that would be wonderful. We haven't gone away together since John was born."

Tony watched Michelle sleep that night. She was so peaceful. She didn't look angry or unhappy; she looked like the Michelle he loved. The one who rolled in the grass with the kids and the one who laughed about her inability to cook; the one who kissed him and made love with him and made him wonder what he did to deserve her. His suggestion that they go to the beach alone had gotten her attention. He hoped that it was a start toward getting the old Michelle back, but first, he was going to have to concentrate on this mission in Korea.


	3. Mr Yuen

Chapter 3: Mr. Yuen

As he expected, Tony was contacted by a representative of Yuen's company a few days later. The man explained that Mr. Yuen wished to contract Tony's services for a large, valuable shipment that he planned to ship later in the month. Tony casually thanked him for his interest and stated that if the man would explain the nature and value of the shipment and when and where it was to be delivered, he could draw up a standard contract and have it sent via courier service. The man insisted that Tony go to Korea to iron out the details of the contract and he assured him that this contract was big enough to make the trip worth his while.

Tony protested a bit to make the transaction appear more realistic, but in the end agreed to go, as Hammond had told him. Two days later he was on a plane to Seoul, South Korea. His secretary, Rita, had peppered him with questions when he asked her to make the travel arrangements. Tony simply told her that this was the biggest contract that he had ever negotiated, and he wanted to do it face to face in order to have the best chance of reaching a long term deal. She seemed to buy the story albeit somewhat reluctantly.

Just prior to the trip, Tony stopped by Jack's office. He made sure Chase would be out of the office before he arrived. He needed to talk to Jack alone. Hammond had made it clear that Tony was to tell no one of his mission and he hadn't, not even Michelle. But something bothered him about the mission; something gave him a bad feeling. After much thought, he decided to tell Jack.

Tony outlined the plan to Jack who thought it was basically straight forward. Tony also told Jack of Bob Warner's involvement. Jack wasn't terribly surprised that his father-in-law had made such an agreement with the CIA. Bob's sense of guilt over Marie's involvement with the terrorists was monumental. Jack knew that Bob had never forgiven himself and thought it likely that he never would. He assumed that his agreement with the CIA gave him some measure of comfort that he was righting the wrongs his daughter had committed.

Jack gave Tony a number of pointers on undercover work and helped him put together a believable cover story. He reassured Tony that he didn't think there was any real danger in the mission as long as his cover was maintained. Tony left for the trip feeling better that Jack had reviewed the mission and pronounced it sound.

Tony scheduled a lunch meeting with Mr. Yuen at his office. He was duly impressed when he walked into the huge office suite. It was paneled with highly polished mahogany and carpeted with beautiful oriental rugs. The hardwood floor that was exposed at the edges of the rugs was finished to a gloss so shiny that it was almost reflective. Hand carved teak figurines sat on a low table near a pair of leather love seats. Tony was invited into Mr. Yuen's private office where lunch was already set up on a glass bistro table by a window which overlooked the city. They shared a western style meal with steaks and salads and baked potatoes with sour cream. Dessert was a rich chocolate cake with a raspberry filling, topped with French vanilla ice cream.

Yuen's English was impeccable and the two talked through lunch about everything except business. As soon as the dished were cleared away, Tony decided to broach the subject of business.

"Mr. Yuen, lunch was wonderful, but I didn't come this far for lunch. Let's talk about your upcoming shipment and the security that you need for it."

Yuen began to talk at length about being a 'self made' man, about how he was orphaned during the Korean War and how he grew his import/export business from nothing to the multimillion dollar corporation it was today. He told Tony that his competition was jealous and was trying to drive him out of business, thus making the need for security immediately urgent.

Tony let him talk then pulled out his laptop to show the hard numbers he had worked up. "Mr. Yuen, I have to be honest with you." Tony said sounding quite sincere. "You've told me that your shipments are usually valued at around a couple of million dollars. That hardly makes my services worth your while. Most of the shipments we secure and track are worth at least ten million dollars. I'm talking about tanker ships full of oil or diamonds from South Africa."

"Maybe the particular shipment I am thinking about is different from the others, Mr. Almeida." Yuen said mysteriously.

"I'm not sure I understand."

"Perhaps I want to ship something other than collectibles for a change."

"What are you planning to ship, Mr. Yuen?"

"Mr. Almeida, I've done some homework. I know more about you than you think." He paused. "You are no ordinary business man. You used to be a US Marine and then a government agent. Am I right?"

"Yes," Tony agreed.

"Your government let you down, didn't it? They failed to protect your wife and when you had to get her back yourself, they called it treason, didn't they?"

"My history is hardly a secret, Mr. Yuen. The story made all of the major newspapers and newscasts across the United States. I'm sure that you are aware that I was given a full pardon by the President."

"That's right, a pardon. Guilty men are pardoned, Mr. Almeida. Do you believe you were guilty?"

"What I did to save my wife was against the oath I took when I swore to defend my countrymen at all costs. Yes, Mr. Yuen, I never claimed that I wasn't guilty. I just believed that there were extenuating circumstances that the government should have considered before charging me."

"But they ignored those circumstances and they called you a traitor. Did that make you angry, Mr. Almeida?"

"Mr. Yuen, what happened between the US government and me is of no consequence here. I'm a private businessman now and my company is available to provide a service to you. I need you to tell me where and when you are planning to ship in addition to the value of the cargo, so I we can negotiate terms of a contract."

"You never answered my question, Mr. Almeida. Were you angry with the US government?" Yuen lowered his voice so he was almost whispering.

Tony found himself unnerved by the man. "Of course I was angry."

"Are you still angry?" Yuen was still whispering.

"I don't think much about it, Mr. Yuen."

"I bet deep down, you still hate the people who are responsible for pressing the charges, the people who forced you into hiding, the people who thought you should have just let your wife die. I would hate them if I were you." Yuen stood transfixed in front of the window, his hands clenched in rage and drawn up against his chest. He was looking right at Tony but not seeing him. "I understand how much you hate those people," he hissed, "and I'm going to give you a chance to get back at them."

"Mr. Yuen, I really don't understand," Tony started but Yuen interrupted.

"I have friends in the US, Mr. Almeida, friends who, like you and me, are angry with the US government. They live in the US and I would like to provide my friends with some arms to defend themselves from an attack like Waco or Ruby Ridge. They deserve to be able to protect themselves, because the US government can take away their liberties at any time, just like they did to you."

Tony allowed himself to smile a little as if he was just now catching on to the plan. "So you are sending them guns, small arms. Am I right?"

"You are on the right track. The cargo I am sending would attract attention unless it is well hidden or the longshoremen happened to look the other way."

Tony sat with his laptop perched on his legs. "What are you asking me to do, Mr. Yuen?" He asked.

"Here's the deal, Mr. Almeida. I need someone to ship this cargo, broken down into its smallest components of course, into Los Angeles. You know companies that could reasonably hide this much cargo inside their own carriers so it can pass inspection."

"Why can't you ship it among your trinkets? If the components are buried well, no inspector is going to find them."

"I am afraid that my shipments arouse too much suspicion." Yuen sighed.

"Suspicion? Does your government suspect that you are dealing in arms?"

"I don't believe so. I was caught a couple of years ago underestimating my company's income. You know, the government expects to collect its fair share in taxes. The problem is that their idea of 'fair' and my idea of 'fair' are two different things. I repaid the money with considerable interest, but now they watch everything I sell. They inspect each shipment and place a value on it. I could never get the arms past the screeners."

"I can find you a shipper, Mr. Yuen, and the appropriate port, but it will take me some time. Give me a means to contact you and I'll get back to you in about two weeks."

"You have one week." Tony didn't argue. "Here is the man you will contact." Yuen gave him the business card of a man named Weldon Hutchins with a Los Angeles phone number.

"Mr. Yuen, an operation like this is expensive to arrange." Tony decided it was time to bring up payment in order to maintain his cover. "I'm going to have to pay off my shipper, the longshoremen at the port, ground transport people, that's just the beginning of the list."

"After you leave today, I will transfer a half million dollars into a Swiss bank account. Mr. Hutchins will give you the access codes when you contact him. You can pay off whoever you please. You will receive another half million when the job is complete and the arms are safely in the hands of my people."

Tony laughed. "Don't insult me, Mr. Yuen. This is a five million dollar operation and you know it. I want 2.5 million transferred to the account while I'm sitting here. You will give me the access codes before I leave. The other 2.5 million is due when the arms clear customs."

"Now you insult me, Mr. Almeida. Two and a half million dollars is my final offer. It is not open to negotiation. Take it or leave it, Mr. Almeida, but if you leave it I'm sure that your partner Pedro Cabrera wouldn't argue with a payday that large. My sources tell me that he is, as you Americans say, cash strapped right now."

Yuen had done his homework; he was right. Pedro Cabrera was a consummate business man but his personal finances were usually in shambles. Pedro had two vices: high stakes gambling and beautiful women. He had recently divorced his third wife and each divorce had cost him more than the one before. Between the three wives, he had seven children that Tony could count, but neither Tony nor Juan Rodriguez was sure if that number was correct. According to Juan, he was currently dating a twenty-two year old "lingerie model". Juan was pretty sure that the only place she modeled lingerie was in the hotel rooms of men who were in Buenos Aires on business. Tony knew that Pedro would jump at the chance for what appeared on the surface to be an easy 2.5 million dollars.

"I will transfer $1.5 million into the account now and give you the access codes. The rest will be transferred when the shipment clears customs." He paused. "Make no mistake about this, Mr. Almeida," his voice was barely above a whisper now, "if you try to take the money and run, I will hunt you down and kill you. There is no place on this earth that you will be safe from me."

Tony said nothing. He had met some evil people in his years at CTU, but this man was as evil and frightening as any of them. His mere presence made Tony's skin crawl. He had to work hard to control his breathing and keep his face expressionless as Yuen made the necessary phone calls to transfer the money. All he could think about was home and Michelle and his children. When Michelle said goodbye to him two days ago, she had actually kissed him. It was the first kiss she had initiated in months. She told him she loved him and would miss him. On the phone last night she told him that she couldn't wait for him to come home. She wasn't back to normal by any stretch of the imagination, but she seemed a little happier since he suggested that they go away together.

Yuen completed the transaction and handed Tony a hand written scrap of paper with the access codes to the account. The two shook hands and Yuen offered to have his driver return Tony to his hotel.

Once Tony was gone, Yuen called his chief of security, Jae Song, to his office. "The man who just left my office is an American named Tony Almeida. He presents himself as a business man from Los Angeles." He handed Jae a picture of Tony. "Follow him. I want to know where he goes and at what time, who he meets with, who he sleeps with. I want to know what he eats for breakfast and how many times a day he goes to the bathroom. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, sir," Jae replied. Yuen was clearly agitated and Jae was afraid of him when he acted this way.

"I gave the driver instructions to make sure he got caught in traffic on the way to the hotel. That should give you plenty of time to get over there and plant some sort of listening device in the room." Jae nodded. "I want reports on my desk every morning by 7 o'clock. Have our people in LA keep an eye on his house and his office. Get listening devices in both of those locations. When he goes back to the United States, I want one of our people there to follow him."

"Should we take any action against him, Sir?"

"Not yet. There is something about this Mr. Almeida that just doesn't add up. He said all the right things but I have a bad feeling about him." Yuen paused. "And as you know, my instincts are usually right."

"Is there anything else, sir?" Jae asked.

"No, that will be all."

Jae Song left Yuen's office with a snappy step. Yuen liked his people to look efficient and Jae didn't want to upset his boss at this particular moment. He hated assignments like this. If he didn't find the evidence against this Mr. Almeida that Yuen was looking for, he would be fired, but if he found what Yuen wanted, the handsome American would soon be dead.


	4. Fear

Chapter 4: Fear

It was nearly 6 o'clock when the driver dropped Tony off at his hotel. As he stepped off of the elevator, he noticed a cleaning lady straightening out her cart near his room. They made eye contact as Tony passed and he recognized her immediately as a South Korean agent. The South Korean government wanted to put their hands on Yuen as much as the Americans did, so their agents were working cooperatively with the CIA. Tony had been given the pictures of several agents who would be stationed in and around the hotel to be available if they were needed. Tony smiled and said hello to her. She returned his smile, nodded and pushed her hair behind her ear. As she did so, she tapped her ear. Tony understood; she was trying to tell him that Yuen's people had bugged his room.

Tony slipped the card key into the reader and opened his door. He closed the door and locked the security latch. He looked carefully around the room to see if anything was out of place. He couldn't see anything and there was no point in looking for surveillance equipment. Yuen was going to keep an eye on him, but he was smart enough to be subtle about it.

He took off his suit jacket and tie and opened the collar of his shirt, then sat down on the bed. He reached under the pillows and retrieved the scramble phone that the South Korean agent left for him. He couldn't use a regular phone to contact CTU, it was too easily traced. He took the phone and walked into the bathroom. He closed the bathroom door, turned on the fan and started the shower. If Yuen had listening devices in the room, all of the background noise in the bathroom would effectively drown out his conversation.

CTU director Jeff DuBose was waiting for Tony's call. Tony filled him in on the details and let him know that overall, the meeting had basically gone as planned.

"My contact to Yuen in LA is a man named Weldon Hutchins." Tony spelled the name for DuBose.

"We'll check him out and see what we can get on him, Tony."

They agreed that further contact was risky and unless things changed, Tony would not contact CTU until he got back to LA. "Jeff," Tony said, almost as an afterthought, "when our guy inside Yuen's operation briefed him on my background, did he give Yuen any information on my business partners?"

"No, Tony, why would we have done that? But if he wanted the information, it's a matter of public record. Your business is incorporated, right? All of your names would be listed on your articles of incorporation."

"I realize that, but Yuen knew some things that wouldn't be recorded anywhere about one of my partners."

"Like what?"

"Like his personal financial problems; Pedro like girls and gambling, not necessarily in that order. His finances are usually a mess. If you guys didn't give him that information, Yuen went out of his way to get it. That means he's watching me closer than I thought he would." Tony paused. "The guy is a sociopath, Jeff. You should see him. I've been eye to eye with a lot of psychos at CTU, but this guy is way out there. He was ranting on about how he knew how angry I must be with the US government. He became totally disconnected. When I tried to change the subject, he didn't even hear me. He scares me, Jeff."

"Don't do anything to give yourself away and I think you'll be fine." Jeff told him. "Just be careful, Tony."

As Tony got off the phone, he found himself feeling a little paranoid. He expected Yuen to be watching him, but it suddenly started bothering him. He decided to change clothes and go out running. That would give him a chance to watch for someone tailing him. He undressed and wet his hair. If someone was listening, they would have heard the shower running for the last ten minutes. Tony needed to leave the hotel looking as if he had showered.

He had only run for a few minutes when he spotted the man following him. Tony obviously had caught the man off guard. He probably had planned on Tony leaving the hotel in a taxi or maybe even walking, but hadn't considered that he might go running. He wasn't dressed for running and was forced to follow Tony in a car. This quickly became awkward. He would wait while Tony ran a block or so and then move his car or circle the block. Tony lost him twice, but both times he was persistent and managed to catch up with Tony. It started to become a game for Tony and he was amused by it. He ran into a large public park that he had run in on previous trips to Seoul. The park had a number of bike and jog paths that crisscrossed the many acres of land.

Cars could only drive on the outskirts of the park, so Tony picked an inside trail and ran toward the center of the park. He was almost immediately lost to the tail who decided his best bet was to keep circling and hope that he would see Tony exiting the park. If he didn't see him leave the park in the next half hour, he would simply go back to the hotel and wait for him to return. He wouldn't mention losing Almeida when he wrote his report that was due in about twelve hours on Mr. Yuen's desk. Rumors around the company were that Yuen would kill you for far less grievous offenses. He wasn't sure if that was true, but he wasn't going to take any chances.

Once he was near the center of the park, Tony sat for a while on a secluded bench near a pond. There were some children sailing remote control boats at the other end, but it was otherwise deserted. He had a good view of the area from there. The man tailing him couldn't walk up on him without Tony seeing him first. He had to admit that losing the tail had been a fun exercise, but the whole idea that he was being tailed and that Yuen had gone to the trouble of checking out his partners made him edgy. He started thinking of Michelle and his children back in LA. What if Yuen was watching them? What if he kidnapped one of them to make sure that Tony complied with his plan? Tony's heart started to pound. The thought that Yuen could get to his family had not occurred to him before now. He needed to know that they were alright. He looked at his watch, with the time difference it would be early morning in LA. He took his phone from the holder he had clipped to the waistband of his running shorts and hit the speed dial to call Michelle.

"Hello," Michelle answered.

Tony breathed a sigh of relief when he heard her voice. "Hi Sweetheart," he said. "I just wanted to see how you were doing."

"We're fine. Sophie is on her way to school. The boys are eating breakfast. I have to take Joe to preschool in a few minutes."

"Who's driving Sophie to school today?"

"It's the Miller's turn to drive this week. I drive next week. Why do you ask?"

Tony made a mental note to call the school in a few minutes and make sure Sophie had arrived. "No reason. I just wondered who was driving. Anything else going on today?"

"I have a doctor's appointment this afternoon. They're going to do an ultrasound."

"I wish I could be there, Honey. Who's watching the boys while you're at the doctors?" He asked trying to sound casual.

"I'm going to drop them off a Kate's. Why are you so concerned about this, Tony?" Michelle sensed that something was wrong.

"I don't know, Babe. I just really miss you guys right now. I'm worried about you. I just wanted to make sure you were doing okay by yourself. I know we had agreed that I wouldn't do any long trips for a while and I feel bad about this."

"I'm doing okay, Tony. You were right the other night. Even if I'm not happy about this baby, I can't do much to change things and I shouldn't be taking it out on you and the kids. We're going to be okay, Tony. I mean you and me, I promise, we're going to be okay."

"I know, Babe. I just can't help worrying about your. Give the kids a kiss and tell them I love them. I love you, too, Honey. Be careful today, okay." Tony said to her. He was having trouble keeping his fear in check.

"Tony, what's wrong? You sound funny. Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, Baby. I just miss you guys, that's all."

They exchanged goodbyes and hung up. Tony started walking the trail to exit the park and made a quick call to Sophie's school to verify that she had arrived. After being assured that she was in her first grade class room, Tony hung up and hastily put the phone back in its holder. He increased his pace back up to a run and returned to his hotel. He was no longer concerned with the man following him; he was too worried about his family. Yuen was a sociopath and he would stop at nothing. Tony took the most direct route back to his hotel without even looking to see if Yuen's man was behind him.

When he reached his hotel, he tried to walk casually through the lobby to the elevator. He was out of breath, having run at full speed all the way from the park. He opened the door to his room and locked it behind him. He stopped for a moment, leaning forward with his hands on his knees trying to get his breath. As soon as his breathing slowed, he pulled out the scramble phone and, as he had done before, he went into the bathroom and started the shower. This time he wasn't calling CTU, he was calling Hammond. Tony wanted protection for his family and only Hammond could order that. He listened anxiously as the phone rang.

"Hammond," said the voice on the phone.

"Brad, it's Tony."

"Almeida, I just got off the phone with DuBose. He said everything went well with Yuen."

"That depends on your point of view."

"What does that mean?"

"Look, Brad, like I told Jeff, Yuen is crazy. He dug up information on my partners that would have taken some work. I'm worried about what he is capable of."

"We know what he's capable of, that's what we're trying to prevent."

"I'm not talking about the arms shipment. He's already got a tail on me and now I'm worried about my family. I'm afraid he might take some action against them to get to me, to make sure I follow through with the plan. I want you to provide protection for my family."

"We're not baby sitters, Almeida. I don't have people to put on that detail."

"You're going to find people, Brad. I'll give you one hour to make sure that you've got someone watching my daughter's school, my son's preschool and Michelle. By the way, Michelle is leaving our boys with Kate Bauer today; I want someone watching their house, too. I'll call DuBose and make sure it's been taken care of in one hour. And you better tell them to be invisible. I don't want Michelle to see them, because if she does, she's going to put two and two together and figure out that I'm on a mission. I also don't want Yuen's people to see them, because if they do, my cover is blown and I'm dead."

"Since when do you give me ultimatums?" Hammond was indignant.

"Since right now. If I can't confirm that you've put protection on my family in one hour, I'm flying home today and calling the Los Angeles Times. I will blow the lid off this whole operation. I'll go to the media and tell them they were lied to regarding my pardon, that I've been beholden to you since I got back to the US."

"I told you before, Tony, if you so much as blink the wrong way, I will press charges against Michelle."

"You've been holding that over my head for five years, Brad. This time I'm going to call your bluff. I still don't believe you have any evidence that I was in the US during the time I was wanted, nor do I believe you have any evidence that Michelle helped me. You try and press charges against a pregnant mother of three over something that happened six years ago after I was granted a pardon, and you are going to have a public relations nightmare on your hands. You forget, Michelle was very popular on the talk show circuit. After a couple of interviews on the talk shows, the women's groups are going to be screaming for your head. Go ahead, Brad, just try and arrest Michelle."

"You're just crazy enough to do that, aren't you? Alright, your protection will be in place in an hour. I can't afford for you to blow this mission."

"Thanks, Brad. I appreciate it."

Hammond hung up without saying goodbye. Working with Almeida just isn't worth the effort, he thought. He's probably worse than Bauer. Hammond had stopped calling Jack in a couple of years ago. Working with Jack drained him and working with Tony was becoming similarly difficult. He sighed and called DuBose. Jeff could assign someone to it, let him deal with Tony.

Tony checked his watch, undressed and stepped into the shower. He could think of nothing except his family and found himself numb with fear. He literally had to will himself to turn off the water and dry off and get dressed. He checked his watch every couple of minutes; he couldn't wait for the hour to be up so he could call Jeff and make sure agents were in place.

He finally decided to order room service. He was too upset to eat, but Yuen's men were watching and he felt it was best if he acted as if everything was fine. He would be expected to have dinner. He didn't feel like leaving the room to go to a restaurant, so ordering room service seemed to make sense. At least it made as much sense as anything could right now.

He checked his watch for the millionth time. Only ten minutes and he could call Jeff. He had to come up with a way to call Jeff without the call being monitored. He couldn't turn on the shower again. No one would believe yet another shower today. He forced himself to concentrate and quickly formulated a plan. First he called room service. It would be about twenty minutes they said. Tony thanked them then hung up and put his scramble phone in his pocket. He picked up the ice bucket and headed out of the room. The ice machine was on the floor below him.

Tony stepped quietly into the stair well and listened to make sure he couldn't hear anyone else on the stairs. Then he walked up a couple of floors and back down past his own floor to the one below. Once he was sure that no one else was moving, he pulled out the phone and called Jeff.

"CTU, DuBose"

"It's me, Jeff"

"Everyone's in place, Tony. I assigned Baker's unit. They'll have a man on your house and your office 24 hours a day. They'll also watch the kids' schools. We've got someone following Michelle. If she drops the kids off anywhere, someone will watch that location. Nothing will happen to them, Tony. You have my word."

Jeff was one of the good guys. He had been one of Tony's department heads when he was CTU Director. He was one of the people who helped in Tony's escape. Hammond had tried desperately to connect Jeff to Tony's escape but could never get any hard evidence. Eventually, with an impeccable service record and years of experience, Hammond promoted him to CTU Director.

"Thanks," was Tony's only reply before the conversation ended. He returned the phone to his pocket and stepped off the stairwell into the hallway. He walked half way down the corridor to the ice machine where he nonchalantly filled the ice bucket and bought a soda from the vending machine. He then returned to his room and waited for room service to bring his meal.

Tony spent the next half hour picking at his dinner. It was actually quite good, but he just couldn't bring himself to eat it. Fear was gnawing at the pit of his stomach and eating just seemed to make it worse. After eating less than half of his dinner, Tony gave up, covered the plate and left it out in the hallway for housekeeping to pick up. He tried to read for a while, but couldn't concentrate so he decided to try and get some sleep. He was tired. The time change and the run and the events of the day had worn him out. He wanted to sleep and drifted off easily enough. It didn't last long, though and he found himself sleeping fitfully. He was dreaming vividly and in every dream Michelle or one of the children was being followed. Sometimes an unseen force tried to grab them and Tony would wake up as he was trying to fight them off, trying so hard to save his family. He lay awake at 3am thinking about Michelle. He remembered when Saunders kidnapped her and how scared she looked. He never wanted to see that look again. He prayed that she would never have to be that scared again.


	5. A Long Day

Chapter 5: A Long Day

While Tony was having nightmares, Michelle was lying on a hard table in the ultrasound suite in her doctor's office. She shifted slightly to find a more comfortable position; her bladder was full and all she wanted was to get this over with.

"I know you're uncomfortable, but it really helps if you can lay still." The ultrasound technician told her. "Are you doing okay?"

"I'm fine; I just really need to use the bathroom." Michelle answered. She remembered how excited she was about having an ultrasound during her first three pregnancies. Each time she watched the monitor eagerly trying to see every detail of her baby, watching the child move, trying to determine the sex. Today she stared straight at the ceiling. She told herself that she didn't want to look at the monitor, didn't want to see the baby. If she didn't see the baby, then he or she didn't exist. At the moment it was that simple. Or at least that was what she told herself.

It was getting harder and harder for Michelle to deny this pregnancy. This morning she found that she no longer had any pants that would button across her stomach. After trying on six pairs, she gave up and put on a denim jumper that fell from the shoulders. As she looked in the full length mirror and turned to the side she left out a quiet sigh. She looked pregnant, there was no way around it. She was running late when she got to the Bauer's house, so she stayed in the van while Kate took Joe and John out of the backseat. She was grateful that she didn't have to get out. Kate was going to notice immediately. As it was, she would have to get out of the van when she picked up the boys.

"I know, I won't be much longer." The technician moved the wand deftly back and forth across Michelle's abdomen and watched the monitor. She stopped periodically to take measurements and to enter new data into the computer. She glanced occasionally at Michelle curious as to why she seemed so disconnected. She had done ultrasounds on Michelle during her previous pregnancies and she had always seemed so involved and excited.

"Mrs. Almeida, everything looks great. Did you want to look? I've got a great view of the baby from this angle."

Michelle felt her eyes grow hot with tears. "I'd rather not look; I don't want to know the sex." She was lying but didn't know how else to explain her obvious lack of interest.

"You can't tell the sex from this view. In fact, because of the baby's position, I haven't been able to determine the sex."

Michelle said nothing; she was trying hard not to cry.

"I'm finished. I'm going to call Dr. Hild in so she can take a look. Go ahead and use the bathroom. Dr. Hild will be a few minutes."

Michelle took advantage of the time to get her emotions in check. She came out of the bathroom and sat on the examining table. She had a nervous habit of playing with the diamond heart-shaped pendant that Tony had given her when he came home from Argentina. Right now she was twisting the chain back and forth, trying to calm herself down. She looked toward the door as it opened and Dr. Hild entered the room. She tried to smile and look natural.

"Hi, Michelle," the middle aged doctor said. "How are you feeling?"

"Okay, I guess. I seem to be tired all of the time."

"That doesn't really surprise me." Dr. Hild answered as she looked at the monitor next to Michelle. She began checking out the images the technician had saved. She glanced at Michelle who was, as the technician had told her, looking everywhere but at the monitor.

Dr. Hild looked back at the monitor continuing to flip through images. "Michelle," her tone had become very serious. "There is something here I think you should see."

Michelle's eyes grew wide, her head jerked toward the monitor, and her hands went instinctively and protectively to her abdomen. Dr. Hild's finger pointed toward the baby's face.

"I think the baby has your nose." She said with a smile.

Michelle closed here eyes and let go of the breath she was holding. "God, you scared me. I thought something was wrong with the baby."

"Oh, so you actually do care." She was facing Michelle now, with her hands on her hips.

"Of course I care!" Michelle was incredulous.

"You certainly haven't been acting like you care. I wasn't sure you did until a minute ago.

Michelle put her hand to her face, her fingertips on her forehead and her thumb resting on her cheek. "First Tony tells me that I'm ignoring the kids, now you think I don't care about the baby. Have I really been acting that badly?"

"I wouldn't describe it as 'bad'; it's more 'disconnected'. Look, Michelle, I have lots of women who have unplanned pregnancies who are unhappy about them. Most of them get over it in a couple of months. That was what I expected from you, but you are close to five months pregnant and you still haven't gotten over it. I'm beginning to wonder if you need some counseling."

Michelle smiled and put her head down. "That's funny, that's exactly the same thing Tony said." She paused. "I think I'm so busy being angry at myself for knowing that I really didn't want to get pregnant for another year or so and not bothering to use any birth control that I lost sight of what is important here. I forgot that I have a baby growing inside of me who, despite how I feel, deserves my love. And I do love this baby as much as I love my other children. I just didn't want to admit it." She finally looked up and met Dr. Hild's eyes.

"That's the Michelle I know. Are you going to be alright?" She asked gently.

Michelle nodded and looked down sheepishly. "Is there any chance I can see the ultrasound pictures again? I'd kind of like to see the baby."

Dr. Hild laughed. "Sure, I think that's a good idea. In fact, why don't you lie back down and we'll take another look so you can get a good look."

Michelle lay back on the table. The doctor put more of the cold ultrasound gel on her belly and ran the wand across it. Michelle watched the monitor as the baby came into view. Tears traced her cheeks as she looked at the baby. She watched as the baby moved a tiny hand. That's my baby, our baby, she thought. She wished Tony was here. He would be so excited. She could just see the huge grin on his face. He would hold her hand and they would smile at each other. She bit her lower lip and closed her eyes. "Are you sure everything looks okay?"

"Everything we can see at the moment looks fine."

"Thank you, Doctor. Thank you so much." Michelle said quietly, unable to take her eyes off the monitor.

Michelle drove back to Kate's house oblivious to the fact that she was being followed by a federal agent. Her mind was full of the images of the baby and thoughts of how she had behaved over the last few months. She couldn't wait to pick up the boys and get home. Sophie would be home from school in an hour and she was going to spend a special evening with them. She felt as if she had wasted the last four months with them, especially Sophie and Joe and she wanted to make it up to them. She desperately wanted to call Tony and apologize, but she knew it was after midnight in Korea and he was probably sound asleep.

At the same time, Tony was lying awake contemplating calling Michelle again. He knew it was irrational but he wanted to know that she and the kids were okay. He reached for his phone and then put it down again. Michelle knew the time difference between LA and Seoul and knew he should be asleep: if he called, she would instantly know something was wrong. No, he couldn't call her. He had to hope that Baker's unit would protect them.

His family was everything to Tony. With Michelle and the kids he had everything he had ever wanted. He loved them all with every fiber of his being. He, as most parents, loved his children unconditionally; it was instinctive. His love for Michelle, however, was different. His love for her was limitless and defied all reasoning or understanding. He couldn't explain it. He often tried to figure out why he loved her, but he couldn't pick out any one reason or even a group of reasons. He just loved her; it was as simple as that. Just the sound of her voice made him happy; her smile made his world come alive. When they were apart, he felt as if part of him were dead and only she could bring him completely back to life. They had been together almost ten years and he still tingled when she touched him.

She came into his life at such a vulnerable time. He had just been publicly humiliated and nearly professionally destroyed by Nina Myers. It was common knowledge around CTU that they were lovers. Unlike Jack and Nina, who had gone out of their way to keep their relationship secret, he and Nina had done little to hide the fact. Even with all of their sneaking around, everyone found out about Jack and Nina, so Tony rationalized that there was no point in keeping his relationship with Nina a secret. She didn't seem to mind that people knew, so they never tried to hide it.

After Nina was arrested and taken from the parking garage, Tony stood there for a long time. He was too embarrassed to walk back into CTU. If his car keys had been in his pocket, he would have just left, but his keys were in his desk. He was going to have to go inside and face all of the stares, all of the knowing looks.

He walked inside and as he stepped off the elevator, he saw medics working on two guards, neither of whom looked as it he was going to survive. He was so ashamed. Nina was a murderer and a traitor and just 48 hours ago he was in bed making love with her. He was caressing her warm, soft skin, kissing her and nibbling on her. It had seemed so tender at the time, now it turned his stomach.

The medics had the situation under control so Tony decided to walk the other way and go back to his desk. As he passed the transformer room, he heard what sounded like someone crying. He put his head in the partially opened door and that was when he found Jack holding Teri's body. He called for help from the medics but knew before he called them that it was too late; Jack would have already called for help if she could have been saved.

George Mason asked Tony to spend the next few days helping Jack and his family. Tony was grateful to be away from CTU. The day after Teri's funeral Tony returned to CTU. Mason and Chappelle were waiting at his desk for him. They asked him to go to the conference room. He sat down not knowing what to expect and was told that he was being suspended indefinitely with pay pending the outcome of an investigation into his relationship with Nina Myers. You understand, Chappelle had said to him in that sanctimonious sort of way he had, that we have to be sure that you two were not working together. Tony was dumbfounded. It never occurred to him that they would think he was working with Nina. Mason escorted him from the building assuring him that they really didn't suspect him of illegal activities, but couldn't take the chance. He was followed home by agents who had a warrant to search his apartment and he had to surrender his passport. It was four weeks before Mason called him and told him he was being reinstated.

He had spent the four weeks largely drowning himself in guilt and self pity and alcohol. He felt so alone. Although his family, his parents and siblings, was there for him, it was different than having that one special someone who he could confide in and love. One thing he had decided during those four weeks of hell was that he would never again date a woman at CTU. His personal life would be completely separate from his professional life. Since his work took up so much of his time, it left little time for a personal life and at that moment, that was alright by him.

When he returned to CTU he was told that George Mason would be Director at least on an interim basis. Tony had been promoted to second in command and ranking officer behind Mason. Just hold out for a year or so, Mason told him, maybe you will be appointed Director when I get the job in Washington that soon-to-be-President Palmer promised me.

Tony's position as third in command had been posted. Several qualified candidates had applied. This was an attractive position since the top several positions at CTU were often considered 'stepping stones' to higher positions at District and Division. Tony was not invited to sit in on the interviews, which was fine with him. He was keeping as low a profile as possible these days. They were slow in making a decision, but eventually Mason introduced him to the newly hired third in command, Michelle Dessler. He was polite as he welcomed her and shook her hand. He immediately noticed her firm handshake, but at the same time felt the softness of her skin. He then noticed her exotic eyes and high cheek bones, her beautiful curly hair and a smile that lit up the room. She was beautiful but he pushed it all to the back of his mind; he would not get involved with this woman, besides, every single man at CTU was quickly vying for her attention. Even George, who considered CTU beneath him and usually acted as if he didn't notice anyone there, commented on how attractive and sexy she was.

Tony did his best to keep his mind off of Agent Dessler but often found his thoughts and his eyes drifting toward her. Sometimes at night as he fell asleep alone and lonely, he would make up his mind to ask her out, but by morning, in the light of day, his rational side took over and he reconsidered. It wasn't until the day they found themselves chasing down a nuclear bomb that he admitted to her that he cared for her, but he only did so after she revealed her own feelings. Just a few hours later he regretted every word he said to her. At that point she was defying him and working with Jack to prove the Cypress audio a forgery. She may not be a traitor, he thought, but she would work against him and hurt him in the end as he had feared all along. He remembered grabbing her arm as she exited the ladies' room. He was angry with her and squeezed her upper arm tightly. He felt the solid muscle beneath his grip. As angry as he was with her, touching her, feeling her muscles tense, was exciting.

Not long after that, they were working together again. Tony decided that Jack's and Michelle's concerns about the Cypress audio might have some validity and they deserved a chance to prove their point. By morning, the two of them had been arrested and were sitting in a holding room. They held hands under the table out of the prying eyes of the surveillance camera. Tony was amazed by how intimate that moment was. It was strangely more intimate than the kiss they had shared a couple of hours earlier. The kiss had been impulsive, enjoyable, but impulsive. Holding hands was deliberate and a sign of solidarity; a physical demonstration that they were a team.

By that night they were in bed together, making the most beautiful love that either of them could ever imagine. Becoming intimate so quickly had been against both of their better judgments, but it happened none the less. Neither of them wanted to spend the night alone thinking about all that had happened the day before. When they closed their eyes both of them were haunted by the images of that day; the dead and the dying after CTU was bombed, their last memories of George, the chaos and confusion after the nuke was detonated. They couldn't face it alone. Instead they found solace in each other's arms. After making love and sleeping late, they spent the entire next day in bed talking and kissing and making love again and again. They were married less than a year later and Tony never regretted a minute of it. Michelle was the best thing that ever happened to him.

Tony got out of bed around 5:30 both looking and feeling like he hadn't slept. Since he had another day in Korea, he was going to make the most of it. He had appointments scheduled with two of his regular clients and two more with shipping companies that he was hoping to do business with. He did his best to stay focused, but the meetings seemed unimportant compared to his family's safety. The entire day seemed to move in slow motion. He ended the day with a dinner meeting with two vice presidents from ATL. Hammond wanted them to be seen with Tony and he was sure the flunkie that Yuen had following him saw them together. The meeting went well, the representatives from ATL never suspected that the dinner meeting had any purpose but to further their business dealings. By the end of the evening, they had extended their contract with Tony's company. Tony should have enjoyed dinner, but throughout the evening he just wanted it to be over.

It was 9 o'clock that night when he finally found himself on his way back to the hotel. He wanted to call Michelle immediately, but he knew she would be on her way to her appointment. He tried to keep himself busy for the next couple of hours until Michelle would be back home and he could talk to her.

Utterly exhausted from not sleeping the night before, Tony started to doze off around 10 o'clock. He awoke with a start when his phone rang. "Hello," he answered rubbing his eyes trying to wake up.

"Did I wake you up, Honey?" Michelle asked.

Tony could feel himself relax when he heard her voice. "Hey, Sweetheart, I guess I fell asleep." he said as he exhaled and closed his eyes in relief. "How are you and the kids?"

"We're fine, Honey. We can't wait for you to get home." She sounded so much better than she had just a day ago. "Oh, Tony, I'm so sorry for the way I've been acting." The floodgates opened and she told Tony everything. She talked about her doctor's appointment and the ultrasound and most of all how ashamed she was of how she had treated him. "Sweetheart, please tell me that you can forgive me."

"Baby, there's nothing to forgive. I love you, Michelle. I'm just happy you've come to terms with this and we can go on being a family."

They discussed what time his flight would arrive and what time she should expect him home. "I have a limo picking me up at the airport and I should be home by 1 o'clock." He told her.

"You don't usually use a limo, Honey. When did you start doing that? Someone from your office usually picks you up." Tony's office was just a few miles from the airport. When he came back from a business trip, Rita or someone else from the office picked him up and he returned to the office for the rest of the day. He always had a pile of mail on his desk and other work that he had to catch up on when he was out of town. It was unlike him to come directly home from the airport even after a long trip.

"That wouldn't work out this time. Everybody had a full schedule tomorrow afternoon." He was lying to her again and he hated doing it. CTU was providing the limousine. One of their agents would be driving and Hammond and DuBose would be in the backseat behind tinted windows. That way, they could discuss their plans on the way back to the city in a secure environment. No one would see Tony with known federal agents and they would be sure that Yuen's people could not listen in on the conversation.

"I could have picked you up." She told him. "Don't you need to go back to the office?"

"Don't worry about it, this works out fine. You didn't need a trip to the airport in the middle of the day. I decided to come straight home; anything at the office can wait until the next day."

The rest of the conversation was pleasant and covered the usual subjects: what the kids were doing, what plans Michelle had for the day, last night's Cubs' score. But as Michelle said goodbye, she couldn't shake the feeling that Tony wasn't acting like himself. He must have told her three times to be careful and that he loved her and to give the kids each his kisses and his love. She asked him again if everything was alright and he assured her that it was. She just wished she could believe him.

He was keeping something from her and she knew it. What could it be? His business was doing well. Juan had been in LA just a few months ago and was thrilled with the amount of business Tony was bringing in. So she was sure it wasn't that. Of course, Pedro had been a problem over the years. She wondered if that was what was bothering Tony. He and Pedro were close friends, but after having to save him twice in the last five years by making interest free loans to him through the company, Tony and Juan had both had it. They told him that if he needed financial assistance again, they would buy out his share of the business and cut him loose. They hoped that Pedro could keep himself afloat long enough for his son Julio to take over his third of the business. Julio had trained for almost a year with Tony in LA and had returned to Argentina just a few months ago. Within the next year or two, he could easily replace his father. Unfortunately, Juan told Tony just a couple of weeks ago that Pedro was gambling again and that he had a new girlfriend. If Tony and Juan had to buy out Pedro's third of the business, it would require that Tony take out a large loan. He certainly didn't have enough liquid assets to buy that portion of the business. Tony hated being in debt and Michelle started to wonder if that was the problem. She wished he would tell her, but understood that at the moment, he probably didn't want to burden her.

As she worked around the house and played with the kids, she kept thinking about Tony. She tried to convince herself that Tony's strange behavior had something to do with Pedro. At the same time, another thought kept nagging her. She had treated Tony so badly for the last few months. Could he have turned to another woman? He wouldn't do that to me, she thought, Tony would never cheat. Of course, she wasn't giving him any reason to be faithful either. She had been bitchy and mean and had barely talked to him. They hadn't made love since she found out that she was pregnant. Not that he hadn't tried, but each time she had pushed him away until he no longer even broached the subject.

She pushed the thought out of her mind. It wasn't possible. Tony wouldn't do it. Would he?

At 7 o'clock the next morning, Yuen sat in his office reading the reports provided by Jae Song. "Not much here, Jae." Yuen snapped.

"There wasn't much to report, sir. When Almeida was in his room, it was quiet except for phone calls to his wife or calls to room service. When he was out of his room, he was always with known clients or meeting with officials from companies that, I suppose, he was trying to get some business from. The list of those clients is in the report. He either ate with people from those companies or he ate alone. He slept alone every night. No one came in or out of the room once he was inside."

"How about his house in LA and his office?"

"We've got his office wired. Our people can hear everything going on in there. Again, nothing unusual. He has about six people working for him as far as we can tell, most of them in support roles. All of them appear to be clean, no connections to the government. As far as his house goes, we have people watching it. They tried to put in listening devices, but he has a state of the art security system. We couldn't get in without setting it off."

"Then why didn't they do that. It takes the police a long time to answer burglar alarm calls at private residences. They would have had time to get in, bug the place and get out again before the police got there."

"If Almeida got word that his alarm system went off, he would be suspicious that something was up. From what we can tell, he's a family man. If he gets spooked or thinks his family is in danger or is being targeted, he is going to go to the authorities. We couldn't take that chance, Mr. Yuen."

Yuen drummed his fingers on the desk. "I suppose you are right. Keep watching the house. I doubt if he would involve his family in this, so nothing is going to happen at the house anyway." He paused. "When is he flying back to LA."

"His flight leaves soon. I have people who will follow him as soon as he gets to the airport in LA. We have this under control, Mr. Yuen."

Yuen sighed. He wished he could believe Jae. "Almeida is smart and I don't trust him. He could double cross us at any time. I can't take that risk. Let the people in LA know that if they suspect he has any ties to the government or if they think he is going to cut and run, they need to kill him."


	6. Back in LA

Chapter 6: Back in LA

Tony walked through the airport and caught sight of the limo driver carrying the sign saying "Almeida". He recognized the man as Agent Tim Richards; they had met the last time Tony was at CTU. Tony approached him and they exchanged pleasantries without appearing familiar with each other. Tony followed Richards to the limousine. Richards opened the door and allowed Tony time to get in. As expected, Hammond and DuBose were in the back seat waiting for him.

"First things first," Tony said without greeting either one of them. "Tell me what's going on with my family."

"Yuen's guys are rank amateurs, Tony." DuBose reported. "We spotted them immediately. They're watching the house but haven't followed Michelle at any time. We haven't spotted them anywhere near either of the kids' schools. They did try to enter the house while it was empty the day before yesterday, but they didn't have any luck. Apparently they couldn't figure out how to disarm your security system and didn't want to attract any attention by setting it off." DuBose paused. "So your house appears to be clean. They're such amateurs that I can't imagine that they have any long range listening equipment. If they did, they wouldn't have approached the house in the first place.

"Your office is a different story. They got in easily the night before last. They probably wired it. We aren't going to be able to contact you there." DuBose handed Tony a small handheld device. "You can check out your office with this. It'll pick up any bugs that they left. If you find them, leave them in place. We don't want Yuen to get suspicious. You may want to check out your house with that, too, but I don't think you're going to find anything. I think your family is safe, Tony, but we'll keep watching them to make sure."

"Thanks, Jeff. You can't imagine how much this means to me. I know you guys think I'm over reacting about this and I appreciate you putting Baker's unit on it. Baker runs a class act. I trust those guys."

"Can we get down to business now?" Hammond asked irritably. He pulled a file folder out of his briefcase and handed it to Tony. "Here is the rest of your information, Tony."

"Ok, what happens next?"

"We brought Bob Warner up to speed earlier this morning and he's on board. You need to call him tomorrow. Since we know that Yuen is listening, they need to hear you negotiating with Bob." DuBose told him. "Bob will agree to order a large shipment of computer equipment from Asia Technology Limited."

"We have two of our people in place at ATL." Hammond interjected.

"That's right," DuBose agreed. "They will make sure that Warner's order is 'accidentally' delivered to Yuen's warehouse. Yuen's people can bury their weapons components in the shipment. Then call ATL to let them know the shipment was delivered to the wrong location. ATL will come back and pick it up and deliver it to the dock for shipment to LA."

Hammond took over as DuBose stopped for a moment. "Our people have been watching the dock. The longshoremen don't check the shipments. They have the dogs sniff them for drugs and explosives. Otherwise, there isn't any real check on the contents of the container."

"What happens when the shipment reaches the US?" Tony asked.

"Bob Warner is going to call the head of the port authority and make some noise that he has been waiting for this shipment for a while and that he wants it expedited. Bob has been somewhat outspoken recently about the fact that LA is no longer a 'friend to the business community'. He has talked about moving his headquarters to a more 'business friendly' city. Of course, the mayor and other city officials are doing anything to please him right now, because if Warner Enterprises moves its HQ, other businesses are going to follow. So if he asks for his shipment to be moved out quickly, it's going to happen. That should prevent them from doing all but a cursory inspection on the shipment.

"When the shipment arrives at Warner Enterprises, Bob Warner will call you. You get in touch with Weldon Hutchins and Yuen's people can go to Warner Enterprises and pick up their weapons components. Of course, we'll have several people on the loading dock there to keep an eye on the situation. Then our agents will follow Yuen's people. We don't want to pick them up until we can get the whole cell. Right now, we can't identify any of Yuen's people. This way we'll know at least part of the cell and they can lead us to the others." DuBose told Tony.

"What about Yuen?" Tony asked.

Hammond spoke this time. "We'll be able to get Yuen without a problem. We have to wait until we raid the cell, though. If we pick up Yuen first, his gang is going to scatter and disappear like cockroaches. We have to pick up Yuen at the same time we raid the cell. So it may be a few weeks before we actually move in on Yuen or his boys."

"What do you know about Weldon Hutchins?" Tony asked.

"Richards," Hammond said to the driver, "fill Almeida in on Hutchins."

"Sure. Hutchins is a Korean American. We put a picture of him in the file so you'll know him if you see him. His father was a US GI in the Korean War; a Corporal Adam Hutchins. He ended up impregnating a 14 or 15 year old Korean peasant girl from a village near his base. He married her and sent her home to his family in the States and she gave birth to Weldon. When Adam got home, he decided that he wasn't interested in his Korean wife and filed for divorce. She moved into a Korean slum in LA and that's where Weldon was raised. He was in trouble from the time he could walk. He belonged to Asian gangs and was stealing cars by the mid-60s when he was only 12 or 13 years old. He eventually got into the drug trade. Now he is a big middleman for the Southeast Asian drug lords. The DEA estimates that thousands of kilos of heroin pass through his hands every couple of months, but they have never been able to pin anything on him. We're not sure how he got involved with Yuen, because Yuen doesn't appear to have anything to do with the drug market and Hutchins isn't involved with any anti-American terrorist activities. So we're not sure of the connection."

"You seem to have a lot of information. Was the DEA willing to share all of that?" Tony asked.

"No," Richards answered. "I was on loan to the DEA for about 18 months a couple of years ago. We were trying to pin something on Hutchins but couldn't get enough to make a conviction stick."

Hammond pointed at the file folder now sitting in Tony's lap. "The file will give you all of the details including the dates and times. Once you give the information to Yuen, you should be off the hook. I can't imagine that he would make any attempt to contact you after that, but we'll keep an eye on you and your family until he's arrested." He paused. "You've done a great job so far, Tony. We can't thank you enough. Finish this up and you're done, I swear, we won't call you again."

The three rode the remaining five minutes in silence. "Richards, are we being followed?" Hammond asked breaking the silence.

"Oh, yeah. I spotted the tail about a mile past the airport. He's definitely an amateur. He made several mistakes that gave him away."

As the limousine pulled into Tony's street Hammond addressed him. "If you need to contact us, use the scramble phone and call from outside of your office."

"Will do," Tony responded succinctly as he stepped from the car. Richards acted the part of the driver and stepped out to retrieve Tony's bag from the trunk. Tony closed the door and turned to see Joe run from the house toward him.

"Daddy!" Joe called. He dropped the soccer ball he was carrying.

Tony couldn't help but smile as he reached for the four year old. Joe looked exactly like Tony. He had a lean, sturdy build, deep brown eyes and coarse, curly brown hair. He loved to play outside and his olive skin had a perpetual southern California tan.

Tony picked the child up and tossed him to the air. "Hey buddy! I think you've gotten bigger since I left." He said as he caught Joe and held him tight against his chest. His relief at seeing his family safe was overwhelming. He kissed the boy over and over again.

Joe struggled to get out of his father's grasp. "Can we play soccer?" Joe asked eagerly.

"Sure we can play soccer. Let me say hello to Mommy first. Then I'll change clothes and we'll play soccer."

Tony picked up his suitcase and smiled to see that Joe was struggling to carry his laptop case. "How about if I get that, Sport. You get the soccer ball."

Michelle had stepped out onto the porch. She had a happy smile on her face for the first time in months. It was one of those smiles that lit up Tony's world. With the trip to Korea behind him and his fears for his safety and his family's safety relieved, he suddenly felt as if life was falling into place again.

As he ascended the porch steps, he took Michelle in his arms. They kissed softly. "God, I missed you. I love you so much." He whispered, his voice cracking slightly with emotion. Michelle noticed the emotion in his voice and again got the feeling that something was wrong. Tony kissed her again. His kiss felt so good that she forgot her concerns. She opened her lips and he slipped his tongue briefly into her mouth. He wanted to continue, but Joe was tugging on his belt loop.

"Can we play soccer now?" Tony and Michelle pulled apart and both laughed.

"Give me a couple of minutes, Buddy. Okay?" Tony said as he tousled his son's hair. "I need to change clothes."

Hammond and DuBose watched the reunion, invisible behind tinted windows, as the car pulled out of the driveway and away from the house. Tony was right when he said that Hammond couldn't stand that he had moved on to have a good life. Hammond had given up everything for the CIA. Wasn't that what was expected?

He was 28 years old when he got a job as a field agent. It was at the height of the cold war. He had always had a gift for languages and was teaching Russian, German and Spanish in a private high school near Atlanta. He had been teaching for five years now and was already disenchanted with it. The pay was low and the school was full of rich kids who didn't give a damn about learning a language. They were only in his class because they needed the credit to graduate. He heard that the government was recruiting people with foreign language skills as interpreters. That seemed exciting. He could work in a foreign embassy, see Europe or South America. He was engaged to a beautiful English teacher who thought moving to another country would be fun. She could get a job teaching English in a foreign school. Go for it, she told him, so he applied.

Instead of hearing from the State Department, he received a call from the CIA. They needed Russian interpreters badly. He interviewed for the job and took a required test. A few weeks later they called him for a second interview. They explained that his test scores showed that he had many of the qualities that they were looking for in a field agent. His Russian language skills made him even more useful. They could place him in the Russian embassy as an interpreter, but his real position would be as an agent. He would communicate with Russian double agents. At first the idea scared him, but the more he thought about it, the more intrigued he became.

His fiancé was livid. She refused to move to the Soviet Union, it was out of the question. Europe or South America, yes, but the USSR, no. On top of all that, the job sounded too dangerous, he could get killed. Brad decided that this was the chance of a lifetime, so he broke off his engagement and took the job.

The job was exciting and maybe just a little bit dangerous and he quickly grew to love it. He excelled as a field agent. He worked countless hours and was quickly promoted. After ten years in the USSR, he was promoted to a position in Germany and several years later back to the United States.

It wasn't until then that he realized that he was nearly 45 and had little to show for it. He looked up his one-time fiancé and found that she was married and had two children. He tried dating, but found he had little time or energy left at the end of a week to woo a woman. Instead he went home to his empty house at the end of the day and became more and more angry and bitter and lonely.

He found comfort at work though. Many of his colleagues were in a similar boat. Most, like George Mason, were divorced and spent little time with their children. Others either had bad marriages that they had excuses to stay in or hadn't married at all. All of them tended to be loners. They found some camaraderie together; a group of them played poker on Thursday nights and occasionally went to happy hour on Friday. But for the most part, they went home alone and talked to no one until they arrived at work the next morning.

When Tony was hired, he looked as if he would fit into this same mold. He worked tirelessly and quickly rose through the ranks. He was handsome and occasionally dated co-workers, but it never lasted for more than a few dates. Nina was the first girl he seemed to really spend any time with. His superiors noticed the relationship but weren't concerned. Both of them were hard workers and it wasn't affecting their work.

Once Nina was revealed as a traitor, Tony kept even more to himself and worked even more hours. His superiors, Mason, Hammond, Chappelle, were all thrilled with his job performance. He would eventually be promoted to CTU director and probably, over time, to much higher positions.

Even after Tony and Michelle were married, he continued to work an enormous number of hours. Hammond could tell that it strained the marriage and he and Chappelle had privately commented that they bet the marriage wouldn't last five years.

Now as Hammond watched Tony with his son and his wife, a sharp pang on jealously went through him. Tony was supposed to be one of 'them', one of the lonely CIA agents. There were so few of them left now. Mason was gone, so was Chappelle. Even Bauer was happily married and had kids. Hammond hated to admit it to himself, but Tony was right, he hated that Tony had moved on while he was in the same lonely rut.

Tony trotted up the stairs to the bedroom. He stopped on the way to peek in on Dess who was taking his afternoon nap. Joe followed close on his heels. He wanted to make sure that Tony did nothing but change clothes and come out to play with him. Tony changed quickly and descended the steps with Joe on his shoulders.

"Michelle," he called as he walked toward the kitchen. He put Joe down on the floor and told him to get the soccer ball and they would meet in the back yard.

"In here, Honey." Her voice came from the family room. She was picking up toys and straightening up.

"I'm going to take Joe outside to play. Dess is still sleeping. Why don't you take some time for yourself." She was giving him a puzzled look. "You know, take a nap or go shopping or have your nails done. Whatever you feel like."

"Are you trying to get rid of me?" Michelle asked quizzically.

"Oh, God, no. It's just that you were stuck here for the last few days with three kids and no help from me. I thought you might like some time to yourself." He pulled her into his arms and kissed her. He was so grateful to see her that he was over-compensating. He knew it, but couldn't help himself.

"Tony, are you alright? You're acting strangely."

"I'm not acting strangely, Michelle. I just know that my being away was hard on you and I want to make it up to you."

"Okay," Michelle said. "I do have some shopping I need to do."

"That's great. Enjoy yourself. If you want to pick up some good steaks on the way home, I'll grill them." Michelle agreed that she would do that.

"Do I need to pick up Sophie at school?"

"No, Tony, it's the Miller's turn to drive this week. I told you that already. Remember?"

"Ya, right, I ...ah... I remember you telling me that. So go and have a good time." He kissed her again. By then Joe was knocking on the sliding glass door to the family room and pressing his nose on it to create a large smudge.

"I'm going to go play with Joe." Tony smiled. "I'll check on Dess in a little while." He said as he kissed her goodbye.

Michelle looked out the window at Tony and Joe kicking the ball around. The game deteriorated very quickly into Tony playfully tackling Joe and tickling him. The little boy giggled with delight. Michelle watched as Tony kissed the child again and again. She knew by his behavior that something was wrong. She would have to get to the bottom of it later.


	7. Another Long Day

Chapter 7: Strange Behavior

Tony was already lying in bed with his eyes closed when Michelle came out of the bathroom. He had barely slept on his trip and now that he had relaxed, all he could think of was sleep. Michelle was still concerned with his behavior and was determined to find out what was wrong. She had convinced herself that it had something to do with his business, but still had a nagging fear that there could be another woman in Tony's life.

"So, your trip went well, right?" She asked awkwardly.

"It went fine, Honey." Tony answered without opening his eyes. "ATL wants to extend their contract. Juan will be happy about that."

"Have you talked to Juan lately?"

"A couple of weeks ago. Why?"

"I just wondered how Pedro was doing." She asked, looking for a way to segue into a conversation about possibly having to buy out Pedro's share of the company.

"Pedro is Pedro. He's never going to change, Michelle."

"I mean his finances. Are you guys going to have to buy him out?"

"Juan had a long talk with Pedro and Julio. Basically, if Pedro needs money, Julio is going to start buying part of Pedro's share. Eventually Julio will be a full partner. So, Juan and I shouldn't have to worry about having to buy Pedro out. Why do you ask?"

"I knew you were concerned about it a few weeks ago. I just wondered if it was resolved." She said as she climbed into bed next to him.

"It's resolved. You don't need to worry about it." He said as he yawned and snuggled closer to her.

Michelle propped herself up with her elbow on the pillow next to him and started to kiss him gently. She leaned into him and planted soft kisses on his face while she ran her had across his chest.

Tony let out quiet moan as he exhaled. "Sweetheart, you're starting something that I can't finish. I'm going to fall asleep on you in a minute. Can I get a rain check?"

"Sure, Honey, anytime." Michelle tried to hide the disappointment in her voice, but it didn't matter since Tony had already drifted of to sleep. She lay down next to him, her body pressing firmly against his. Although she knew he was tired, his rejection of her advances bothered her. Tony was almost always in the mood for sex. She couldn't remember the last time she had come on to him and he had turned her down. All of this further fueled her concerns that he was seeing someone else and she became more determined to fight to keep him. She listened to his quiet breathing and she vowed to win his heart back. She had been impossible to live with for the last few months, but all of that was going to change. She stroked her expanding abdomen and silently promised the baby that she would do whatever it took to make sure that their family stayed together. She fell asleep with a plan to seduce him in the morning when he woke up.

Tony was already up and dressed when Michelle awoke. "What time is it?" She asked him squinting against the sun coming in the window. "I didn't hear your alarm clock go off."

"It's 7 o'clock." He said. "I was awake for a while, so I turned the alarm clock off so it wouldn't wake you."

More unusual behavior, Michelle thought. Tony never woke before the alarm went off; the man slept like the dead. He normally hit the snooze alarm three times before acknowledging that it was really morning. Then he would snuggle with her for another fifteen minutes before finally rolling out of bed.

"I'm going to get some breakfast and then go into the office." He told her as he leaned over to kiss her goodbye.

"Isn't it a little early for you to be going to the office?" She asked.

"I'm sure there's a pile of work on my desk. I want to get an early start. Is that a problem? I can go in later if you need help with the kids." He offered.

"No, no, not a problem. Go ahead. I'll see you when you get home tonight."

Tony left the bedroom knowing that Michelle was suspicious of his behavior. This would all be over in a few days and he could explain himself to her then. He hated having to deceive her. The only other time he had done so was when he and Jack and Gael were involved in the covert plan to buy the virus. She had been so angry with him that he promised himself that if they came through that day alive, he would never keep anything from her again. He considered telling her but decided that at the moment it was best if she didn't know the truth. If she did, she would just worry and he didn't want her worrying. She was happy again for the first time in months and he didn't want anything to change that. Besides, right now he was doing enough worrying for the two of them. He would simply have to make a concerted effort to make his behavior appear more normal.

He ate a quick breakfast and left the house. He had driven less than two blocks before he saw Yuen's man following him. The office was quiet when Tony arrived. He had counted on being the first one in that morning. He pulled out the device that DuBose had given him and began to look for listening devices. He had used the device the day before to check the house while Michelle was out. He was happy to confirm DuBose's belief that there were no bugs in the house. He quickly located four listening devices in the office, including one under his desk and a second in his phone.

Tony wasn't lying to Michelle when he said that there would be a pile of work for him to do when he got to the office. He started going through the pile making notes on each as to what needed to be done with them. It was noon before he had cleared the pile. Some of it went back to Rita, some to one or another of his analysts, still others needed to be sent to his lawyer or accountant. Once those items were taken care of, he decided it was time to place the first call to Bob Warner.

He took the stack of papers out to Rita's desk and asked her to get them back to the appropriate people. "Do me a favor and hold all of my calls for a while, Rita. I have a couple of important calls to make and I don't want to be disturbed." As he walked back into his office he pulled the door closed.

His hands were sweating and his heart was pounding. He knew Yuen's people would be listening to this conversation and it had to sound real. If it sounded rehearsed, they would pick up on it and it would blow his cover. He dialed Bob Warner's number and almost hoped that Bob would be out or too busy to talk. But instead, his secretary asked Tony to hold while she transferred his call.

The conversation went as planned. Tony outlined the plan as if Bob had never heard it before and they negotiated Warner's price and how he would be paid. As the conversation ended, Bob agreed to place the order with ATL the next day. They said their goodbyes and Tony heaved a sigh of relief as he hung up the phone. He was happy that the conversation was over. It was one more obstacle out of the way. A day or so after Bob placed the order; Tony would call his contact at ATL and again, go through the motions of arranging a deal as if the person on the other end of the phone knew nothing about it. At that point, all that was left was to call Weldon Hutchins and fill him in on the details. Of course, Hutchins was probably the one listening to the conversations going on in Tony's office, so he already knew the plans. But he too would play the game and pretend that everything that Tony was telling him was new information. If everything went as planned, the shipment that included the weapons would arrive in the port of Los Angeles in three weeks. That would be the end of Tony's commitment to the CIA; they would not bother him again.

Tony drove home mentally and emotionally exhausted by the day's events. He was amazed at how all of this was affecting him. He used to do things like this on a day to day basis and not be bothered by them at all. He would go home at the end of the day and have dinner like normal people. Now, his whole world seemed to be turned upside down by this assignment. He wondered how he lived that way. Of course his life was very different. He only had himself to worry about, to be responsible for. Things have changed in the last ten years, he thought. Ten years ago, Michelle was just a beautiful co-worker, who he was very attracted to, but couldn't imagine that he would ever have a relationship with let alone marry. The kids weren't even on his radar at that point. He was still reeling from Nina's betrayal.

He arrived home as preoccupied with his thoughts as he had been the day before. He was conscious of it and tried to act more "normal" but knew he was failing miserably and Michelle had certainly noticed by now. Fortunately it was a busy evening so the two of them spent very little time together. Tony was almost relieved when he got into bed and Michelle had already fallen asleep. He smiled when he noticed that she was wearing his favorite wine-colored satin negligee. He knew when she put that on, her plan was to seduce him. It always worked. Come to think of it, she could put on a sweat shirt and jeans and still have no trouble seducing him; he found her irresistible no matter what she was wearing. But tonight, he was so caught up in this covert operation that he wasn't sure how he would have responded to her.

Just as Tony fell asleep, his arm around Michelle, thousands of miles away in Seoul, Yuen Lim sat with his head of security getting the latest update on Tony. The report contained a list of Tony's activities and transcripts of all of his phone calls, including his call to Bob Warner.

"Well, Mr. Jae, this morning's report is a little more interesting than the others." Yuen said. "What can you tell me about this Bob Warner?"

"He has some interesting history. Warner's daughter was involved with a terrorist group called Second Wave. That was the group that tried to detonate a nuclear bomb in Los Angeles about ten years ago. Marie Warner was key to the plot and she ended up being charged with treason and murder, among other things. She probably should have been sentenced to death, but at the last minute she agreed to turn states evidence and gave the government the names of several other people who were involved. She ended up with a life sentence.

"What was Bob Warner's role in the bomb?" Yuen asked.

"It doesn't appear that he had any role in it. In fact, he appears to be the ultimate patriotic American. Before his daughter was arrested, he did some free lance work for the CIA. Once she was arrested, they very quietly cut him loose. The conventional wisdom was that it would look bad to have the father of a terrorist working for the CIA."

"Then Bob Warner doesn't seem like a person who would be interested in moving an arms shipment into the US. Why is Almeida using him?"

"That was my question, as well. The only thing I can find is that Warner expressed some dissatisfaction at his daughter's life sentence. He felt that since she eventually cooperated, she should have gotten a reduced sentence. If you read page three of the transcript, at one point Almeida says 'Marie was screwed by the government, Bob. Now here is your chance to screw them back.' They also discuss that fact that Almeida isn't being paid all that much for the operation and all he could offer Warner was a million dollars. Warner has a personal worth of around $20-30 million dollars. The million Almeida is offering him is chump change, but Warner makes the comment that he isn't doing it for the money. He also is good friends with Almeida. Warner's other daughter, Kate is married to Almeida's best friend, a former CIA agent named Jack Bauer. Almeida came back from South America just before Marie Warner's trial and he was called to testify. He really downplayed Marie's role in the whole bomb plot. He seemed more interested in having her go to prison for murdering two federal agents. He didn't appear to care a lot about the treason charge."

"What do you know about Jack Bauer? Does he still have ties to the CIA?"

"It doesn't look like it. He resigned voluntarily, but if he hadn't, he probably would have been fired. Actually, they could have filed some charges against him, but he is a personal friend of David Palmer, the former President and it looks like Palmer made sure nothing bad happened to him."

Yuen sat back in his leather desk chair. His elbows rested on the arms of the chair, his fingertips touching. He wrinkled his forehead and squinted as if deep in thought. "So are you comfortable with all of this, Jae or do you think they are going to sell me out?"

"I think at this point we have to trust them. We have no real reason not to. Both of them have reasons to want revenge against their government. Plus, Warner may not need the money, but Almeida could use it. Not that he's exactly poor, but from what our boys watching the house tell me, he's got three kids in a fairly small house, a daughter in a private school and his wife is pregnant with a fourth child. She doesn't appear to work; so I'm sure money is a little tight for them." He paused to collect his thoughts. "We haven't found any reason to believe that either Almeida or Warner is working with or for the government or that they are going to double cross us and take the arms or take the money and not deliver the arms. As closely as we are watching Almeida he can't go to the bathroom without us knowing it. So if he is going to screw us, we'll know about it."

"Ok, we'll let the operation continue, but keep a close eye on both Almeida and Warner. I want a daily report on both of their activities. I don't have to remind you that Almeida and Warner know too much. If either one of them appears disloyal in any way, get rid of him."

"Of course, Sir. As always, a report will be on your desk at 7 o'clock sharp."

Michelle awoke the next morning angry with herself for falling asleep before Tony got in bed. She leaned toward the nightstand to look at the clock. It was only 6:30. The alarm wouldn't go off for another half hour, which gave her plenty of time. She snuggled against Tony and kissed him softly. "Good morning, sleepyhead," she cooed. She nibbled on his ear and moaned quietly.

"What are you trying to do to me?" Tony asked in a playful but sleepy voice.

"I'm just trying to wake you up." She answered coyly as she kissed his neck.

"Sweetheart," he said as he opened his eyes and rolled toward her. "This never works in the morning. One of the kids always disturbs us just as things are getting interesting." He kissed her lips.

Michelle moved away slightly and propped herself up on her elbow. "Tony, why are you trying to avoid me?"

"Honey, I'm not trying to avoid you. You know we always get interrupted when we try to make love in the morning."

"You're right; sometimes we get interrupted. But does that mean we shouldn't even try?" She was clearly irritated.

"Maybe it doesn't bother you, but I don't like being interrupted." He looked at her for a moment. He was afraid to say what he was thinking but decided to go ahead. "I don't quite know what to make of this, Michelle. You haven't let me touch you in months and now all of the sudden you get upset because I want to wait until we have some time. I told you before I went to Korea that I would ask my parents to take the kids for a few days and we'll go away."

"Look, Tony, I know I've totally rejected you in the last few months. I apologized for that on the phone the other day, and I'm trying to make it up to you. Do you plan to wait until we go away just so we don't get interrupted?"

Tony softened, "Honey, I appreciate what you're doing." He leaned over and kissed her. "And no, I'm not asking you to wait until we go away. I'm just asking that we wait until we have some time to really enjoy each other. I love you, Baby. Maybe if we rushed it, we could have sex right now, but I don't want to have sex, I want to make love to you." He pulled her into his arms and lay back on the pillow. At that moment, as if to prove Tony's point, Joe came bounding into the bedroom and jumped on the foot of the bed. He quickly crawled between his parents.

"Hi Daddy, hi Mommy," he said in a sunny voice. "Is it time for breakfast? I'm starved."

"Joe, it's not even 7 o'clock. You're starved already?" Michelle asked somewhere between annoyed that Tony was right and amused at her son.

"Yeah, Mommy. I must be having one of those growing things."

"You mean a growth spurt?"

"Yeah, you say I'm always hungry when I have one of those. I think I'm getting bigger, don't you? Daddy, you said so when you got home the other day."

"That's right, I did say that." Tony answered in mock seriousness. "I think I better take you downstairs and get breakfast before you get weak from starvation." He looked at Michelle. "Why don't you try and get a little more sleep."

Michelle rolled over but hadn't even gotten comfortable yet when Dess started calling from his crib "Mama, Mama, out! Mama, out!" Michelle sighed and got out of bed to retrieve him.

As she walked to his room, all she could think about was Tony. She knew he was right this morning, but it didn't make her feel any better. It just reinforced her feeling that he had another woman in his life; he didn't need physical contact with her if he was getting it elsewhere. She wondered if the woman was someone she knew. Tony's secretary Rita Corbin came to mind, as did Lindsay O'Neill, one of his analysts. Lindsay was blond and blue eyed, not really Tony's type. Rita on the other hand was a striking brunette. Both women were younger than she and had bodies that hadn't been ravaged by three pregnancies. She felt tears sting her eyes but smiled as she walked into her son's room.

"Mama," he exclaimed when he saw her. His arms were outstretched and he kicked and cooed with enthusiasm as she picked him up. Of their three children, he was the only one that looked at all like Michelle. His skin and hair and eyes were all lighter than Sophie's or Joe's. He had Michelle's nose and smile. If she was really honest with herself, the baby looked like her father or at least what she could remember of him.

When Michelle thought of her childhood, it didn't include many thoughts of her father. He was rarely home; his work often sent him overseas and he was sometimes gone for months at a time. When he was home, he paid little attention to Michelle or her brother, Danny. She remembered him coming home late in the evening and pouring himself one vodka martini after another. He was often gone by the time she got up in the morning and if not, he was sleeping off the effects of the alcohol. She didn't remember her parents arguing at all, so it came as a complete surprise when she was ten and her mother, Anne, explained to her and her brother that they were getting a divorce. Michelle had some friends whose parents were divorced and they talked about their parents fighting all of the time. She asked her mother about what kind of custody agreement they would have. Her girlfriend Amy went to her father's house every other weekend and Michelle expected something similar. Her mother explained that because of her father's job there would be no set custody arrangement. Michelle and Danny would live with her and their father could come and see them any time he wanted.

Her father came by to see them a few times in the first couple of months after the separation. He would take them out to dinner or maybe to a Dodgers game, but those visits abruptly stopped. It was two years before he showed up again. Danny, who was now fourteen, had grown to dislike his father, but Michelle was generally just indifferent to him. He had never been an involved father that loved her and she loved back, so it didn't seem very important whether he came to see her or not. She and Danny had a comfortable existence with their mother. They had a decent house in a middle class neighborhood. They attended public schools and money, although not in great supply, was there when they needed it.

She remembered her father's last real visit. It was a Saturday and he took Danny and Michelle to Disneyland. Michelle thought it was wonderful but Danny had been miserable all day. When he dropped them off at home, Danny walked sullenly into the house, but Michelle lingered in the car asking when they would do it again. Soon, he told her, soon.

He hadn't lied, he showed up a two weeks later and wanted to take Danny and Michelle out for dinner. She was very excited and ran upstairs to change clothes but she heard her mother refuse to let them go. He had been drinking, she said. He was not getting in the car with the children. Before he left he explained that he would be working overseas for the next year, but would see them as soon as he came back to the States.

He did come back about 18 months later, but just like the last time, he was obviously drunk. Michelle knew as soon as he walked in that he had been drinking. His speech was slurred and he tripped over the threshold. He showed up this way on several more occasions over the next six months. Each time her mother told him to leave. Eventually he stopped coming at all.

It was six or eight months later that Michelle overheard her mother talking to a neighbor, Mrs. Kelley, over coffee one day. She told Mrs. Kelley that she was going to have to find a job because Evan, Michelle's father, had lost his job and wouldn't be able to pay alimony and child support any longer. Oh, Anne, he'll find another job, Mrs. Kelley said sympathetically. Michelle's mother scoffed. Who is going to hire a middle aged man who spends most of his days face down in a martini glass?

Within a few weeks, Michelle's mother was working as a secretary making far less than her father had been paying to support his family. She eventually had to sell the house and they moved to an apartment where Michelle shared a room with her mother and Danny slept on the couch. As soon as Danny turned 16 he got a job at the drug store down the street to try and help out, but his minimum wage didn't go very far. It wasn't long after that that Anne's health started to fail. Michelle was only 16 when her mother died. Before her death, Anne admitted that, although he was an alcoholic and hadn't been a particularly loving husband or father, she still loved Evan and always would. She had lost touch with him, but gave Michelle the name of someone who she thought could put her in touch with Evan. He needs to take some responsibility for you, her mother told her. Michelle threw the name away. She had no intention of getting in touch with a man she hadn't seen or heard from in four years. Danny was out of high school and working full time while he went to college at night. He became Michelle's legal guardian and she moved in with him until she also finished high school and could be out on her own.

Michelle probably hadn't thought of her father more than a couple of times a year until John was born. By the time he was six months old, his resemblance to her father was so great that she couldn't deny it. She wondered occasionally if he was alive or not. Probably not, she thought, he probably drank himself into an early grave.

She kissed John as she picked him up. You may look like your grandfather, she thought, but I will do everything in my power to make sure you don't grow up to be like him.


	8. The Phone Call

Chapter 8: The Phone Call

Tony remained a bundle of nerves as the next three weeks passed at a glacial pace. He made contact with the agents in place at ATL and all of the arrangements were in place. He finally called Weldon Hutchins and gave him the details of the plan, as if Hutchins hadn't been listening and didn't already know. It was all going smoothly, Tony wasn't sure why he was so nervous. He also wasn't sure why he couldn't hide his anxiety from his family. Even Sophie asked him if he was okay and told him that he wasn't acting like "her Daddy."

Michelle was clearly suspicious of him and was keeping close tabs on him. She rarely bothered him at work, but now was calling a couple of times a day just to "see how his day was going." They finally made love a few days after Michelle's morning attempt to seduce him. It was uninspired and they both felt it. It had been gentle and loving but less than passionate. Tony really wanted nothing more than to kiss her and hold her and caress her and just revel in having her there with him safe and secure. That wasn't at all what Michelle was expecting. She knew that sex during her pregnancies had always been different for them than at other times. They were still passionate, but Tony was particularly gentle with her when she was pregnant. This time was entirely different. He was difficult to arouse and seemed to want to concentrate on kissing and foreplay. His climax was so subtle that the only reason she knew he had one was because he exhaled hard a couple of times. Usually he was burying his face in her neck or the pillow or biting his lip to keep from crying out and waking the children. Afterward, he kissed her once and fell asleep. The whole experience convinced Michelle that Tony had a mistress. She had cringed as he penetrated her. She could just imagine him in bed with another woman, doing the same things that he was doing with her right now. It nauseated her to think he could do this to her, that he could have sex with someone else and now be inside of her. She wanted to pull away from him and cry, tell him to go back to his girlfriend and leave her alone and never touch her again. But if she did, she would lose him forever. It was the way she had treated him that had chased him away. She had to win him back and the only way to do that was to continue. If she wanted to keep him out of another woman's bed, she had to provide a reason for him to get in bed with her and she was determined to do it.

The day the shipment arrived from Korea Tony was a wreck. Twice he snapped at Rita and later he got into an argument with one of his analysts. He checked his watch every few minutes and thought the day would never end. Finally at 4 o'clock he got confirmation that the shipment was on its way to Warner Enterprises. Tony called Weldon Hutchins and let him know that he could send his team to the loading dock at Warner Enterprises at 5:30. Bob's regular loading dock crew would leave at 5 o'clock and a replacement crew that was working for Tony (who were actually federal agents) would arrive to help Yuen's men unload the arms shipment.

Tony got a call from Bob Warner around 7 o'clock that the transaction was complete. Weldon Hutchins and six of Yuen's people unloaded the arms and left with them in a box truck. Tony sat back in his chair and closed his eyes; relief that this operation was over coursed through his veins. Actually, it wouldn't be completely over until Yuen was arrested, but that shouldn't take more than a couple of weeks. At least his role in the operation was done. He went home that night acting more like himself than he had in weeks.

While Tony was talking to Bob Warner, Weldon Hutchins was frantically calling Yuen Lim. "We've been had," Hutchins said just as Yuen answered the phone. "I recognized one of the guys on the loading dock. He's a government agent named Richards. He was with the DEA a couple of years ago when they were after me."

"Calm down, Mr. Hutchins," Yuen said as if unconcerned.

"Should I kill Almeida?"

"Not just yet. Let me assess the damage. Where is our team that unloaded the arms?"

"In an old house in an Asian section of LA." Hutchins answered

"How many of them are there? Have they left the house?"

"There are six of them. They don't know about the federal agent. I told them to stay in the house."

"Good," Yuen said chuckling to himself. "Keep them away from the rest of my men. The US agents are using those six to lead them to the rest of our cell. You need to quietly kill the six in the house and tell the others to go underground for a couple of months until the heat dies down."

"What about the arms. Should I get them out of the house and move them elsewhere?"

"Leave the arms. We're going to have to concede them this time. I can get more where those came from."

"What about Almeida? He hasn't left his office yet, I can have one of our men shoot him as he's leaving his office."

"No, don't kill him yet. I have other plans for him." Yuen laughed out loud then outlined his plan to Hutchins.

As Michelle got ready for bed Tony came up behind her and put his arms around her. He pushed her hair out of the way and pressed his lips into her neck. He let his hands slide down her hips as he kissed down along her shoulder. As he did so, he felt Michelle's body tense up. He pulled back, somewhat startled.

"What's wrong?" He asked her.

"I don't know," she lied as she moved away from him keeping her back toward him. "I'm just not in the mood." Her voice was quivering and tears were filling her eyes. She simply could not bear to have him touch her now that she was sure that he was having an affair.

"It's okay, Honey" he whispered as he moved toward her and tried to take her in his arms.

She jerked away from him again but this time she turned to face him. She swallowed hard, tears now streaking her face. She could take it no longer. "Is she pretty, Tony?"

She said glaring at him.

Tony looked confused. "Is who pretty?"

"Your girlfriend, your mistress, whatever you want to call her!"

Tony's jaw dropped in surprise. "My girlfriend? Michelle, are you accusing me of cheating on you?"

"Oh, Tony, I'm not stupid. You've been a million miles away for the last few weeks. You have no interest in me. My God, you practically fell asleep the last time we had sex. Look, I understand that I treated you really badly for the last few months and I know why you did it, but don't play me for a fool."

Tony sat on the bed stunned. She could have pulled out a gun and shot him and he wouldn't have been more surprised. "Baby," he said in a low voice. "I am not cheating on you. I wouldn't do that to you. We've had our problems in the last few months, but I would never cheat. Michelle, I have too much respect for you to have sex with another woman and then come home to you. I can't believe that you think I'm capable of that. I thought you knew me better than that." His voice dripped with hurt. He stood and walked away from her shaking his head.

He sighed quietly and turned to face her. "You want the truth, Michelle?"

She nodded and said nothing. She wasn't sure she wanted the truth but whatever it was, she had to face it.

"I'm sorry I didn't come clean sooner, but I was trying to protect you." He paused. "Brad Hammond called me about a month ago and gave me an assignment. That was why I went to Korea. It was an undercover mission. I was dealing with a South Korean named Yuen who was trying to import RPGs and shoulder fired missile launchers into the US. We arranged the shipment and it reached LA today. It's going to be a few weeks before CTU can round up all of Yuen's men and arrest them and have South Korean agents pick up Yuen, but more or less, my involvement is over. We've had CTU protection 24 hours a day since I was in Korea. Baker's unit is watching you and me and the kids, their schools, our house and my office all the time. Yuen's men are following me, they've bugged my office and they are watching the house. They haven't been following you or the kids. They have never been sighted anywhere near the kids schools. We will continue to get protection until Yuen is arrested. That's the truth, Michelle. Frankly, I have been so worried about you and the kids that I can barely function, but it's over now and things should be back to normal soon."

Without letting her respond, he turned and walked out of their bedroom. She followed him down the stairs and into the kitchen where Tony opened a high cupboard and pulled out a bottle of scotch. He carelessly poured about four fingers of the amber liquid into a glass splashing scotch onto the counter in the process. He downed about half of the scotch in one large swallow.

"Oh, Tony, please, let's talk," Michelle sobbed. She reached for his arm but he pulled away.

"I'm not sure what there is to talk about, Michelle. You accused me of cheating and I set the record straight." The hurt in his eyes was visible. "I made a vow eight years ago to love you and honor you and be faithful to you. I didn't take those vows lightly then and I don't take them lightly now. I love you, Michelle. I love our kids. Why would I mess that all up for some cheap sex. Jesus, Michelle, is that what you think of me?" He threw back the rest of the scotch and poured another glass. He started to walk away and as he did so he pulled off his thick platinum wedding band and set it on the counter. He rarely took the ring off and usually even slept in it. The gesture was not lost on Michelle.

"Tony, I'm so sorry. I wasn't thinking. Please, Honey..." she pleaded. "I'm so sorry." She followed him into the family room.

"You know what, Michelle." His voice was flat and emotionless. "I think I need some time alone right now. You need some rest. Why don't you go to bed."

"Are you going to come upstairs soon?"

"I don't know right now, Michelle. I need to think." He drank down the scotch and went back to the kitchen. This time he brought the bottle with him. "Just go to bed, Michelle." He said, his tone not so much angry as it was disappointed.

Not knowing what else to do, Michelle turned and went toward the stairs. She lay down on the bed and cried herself into an exhausted sleep. Downstairs in the family room, Tony sat staring unfocused into space. He absently reached out every couple of minutes for his glass. Fortunately, the bottle of scotch was less than half full but he drank it until it was empty then fell into a deep sleep in the sofa.

Michelle awoke the next morning to hear the water running in the shower. The memory of last night hit her like a ton of bricks. What had she been thinking? She knew Tony could never cheat on her. Why did she accuse him like that? She lay in bed rehearsing how she would apologize.

"Good morning, Sweetheart," she said quietly as Tony walked from the bathroom into the bedroom. "Tony, I don't even know how to begin to apologize to you. Please tell me you can forgive me."

"Michelle, I am so hung over that I can't even think. I don't want to talk right now. I'm hurt, Michelle. I'll get over it, but this is going to sting for a while. Let me work through this on my own."

They both went through their morning routines without saying much. The two boys got up without any coaxing, but Michelle had to get Sophie up and ready for school. She looked so cute in her blue and gray plaid jumper and little black shoes. She was wearing a white headband to keep her brown curls out of her face. She picked up her backpack and her lunch and kissed Michelle goodbye then followed Tony out to the car. Michelle tried to kiss Tony goodbye as well, but he stepped away before she got a chance. He and Sophie were gone before she noticed that Tony's wedding ring still sat on the counter where he left it the night before. She took off her necklace and slipped the ring onto the chain then returned it to her neck.

Tony and Sophie chatted a little as he drove her to school. He was nursing a mammoth hangover so he tried to talk as little as possible. He stopped to pick up the other children in the car pool then headed toward the school.

Immaculate Heart of Mary School sat directly across the street from the church. It was a long, low brick building with big windows that let in lots of sun and tended to distract the children on nice days. There was a big playground for recess along one side of the building that was already filling with children who hadn't yet gone to their classrooms.

Tony got out of his SUV and walked to the passenger side. There he opened the rear door and helped the three small children to the ground. He picked Sophie up and kissed her before depositing her on the ground where she took off running toward the playground. "Bye Daddy," she called as she turned to give him a sunny smile. "I love you!" As bad a mood as he was in, Sophie still made him smile. He closed the rear door and was about to walk back to the driver's side just as the Pastor, Father Marty came jogging toward him.

"Hey, Tony," the priest said extending his hand.

The two shook hands and exchanged pleasantries. Tony and Father Marty had gone to high school together. "Did you have a good run this morning, Father?" Tony asked.

"I hate it when you call me 'Father'!" Marty said with a smile. "By the way, I guess congratulations are an order."

Tony looked confused so Father Marty continued. "I saw Michelle and the kids in church a couple of weeks ago when you were out of the country. I didn't realize that you were having another baby, congratulations." Father Marty was close to Tony and Michelle. He had married them, baptized all of their children and Michelle, who, while agnostic when she and Tony had married, converted to Catholicism shortly after Joe was born.

"Yeah, that was a surprise to us, too."

"You don't seem very pleased, Tony."

"I'm happy, but it's been hard on Michelle." He paused and looked down focusing on a stone lying near his foot. He moved the stone around with the toe of his shoe. "We're having some problems right now, Marty."

"I'm sorry, Tony. Would you two like to sit down and talk about it?"

"Give us some time to work it out. If we can't do it ourselves, we'll call you." Tony looked up and made eye contact with his old friend.

"Sounds like a plan. I'll be here if you need me. I've got to go get a shower. I'm saying Mass at 9:00 for the second grade. I need to get ready. I'll keep you guys in my prayers." They shook hands and Tony thanked him, then got back into his car and drove to the office.

"Good morning, Mr. Almeida," Rita said as he walked through the door.

"Morning," he answered succinctly. "How are you this morning?" He asked as he stopped at her desk. Rita was beautiful and every man who worked in the office seemed to get tongue tied when he talked to her, but Tony barely noticed. He knew she was beautiful, but he didn't care. To him, she could never be as beautiful as Michelle.

"I'm okay. How are you?"

"Lousy, but thanks for asking." He rubbed his forehead. "Rita, I owe you an apology for yesterday. I'm sorry. I have a lot going on right now and I shouldn't bring it to work with me. I won't do it again."

"Don't worry about it." She said with that soft smile that drove all the other men crazy. She handed him the morning mail all sorted and ready for him to attend to.

He walked into his private office and pulled open his laptop. His "to do" list was long and he didn't have the patience or inclination to do any of it today. He sat back in his chair wishing his headache would go away, but knowing that this one would last most of the day. He hadn't had that much to drink in one sitting since he lived in Argentina and frequently used alcohol to forget how sad and lonely he was.

The day dragged on and on, or at least that was how it felt. He probably would have spent the morning staring into space if it wasn't for his employees who stopped by his office with questions or projects they were working on. Rita had taken an early lunch and was away from her desk when the phone rang. Tony thought about ignoring it. The voice mail would pick up, but it would take five rings and by the third he couldn't stand the ringing any more.

"Secured Tracking, Tony Almeida," he answered. He noticed that the caller ID was blocked.

"Mr. Almeida, this is Weldon Hutchins." The voice on the other end said.

Tony had to suppress a gasp. Why was Hutchins calling him? "Mr. Hutchins, what can I do for you?"

"You can stay silent and listen while I describe a scene to you." Tony said nothing. "One of my men is sitting on a bench across the street from a building. The building is one story and brick with lots of windows. There is a church across the street and a next to the building is a playground with lots of children playing outside at recess."

Tony's heart sunk. Hutchins was describing Sophie's school. He could feel beads of sweat break out on his forehead and his hands started to shake.

Hutchins continued, "There is one particularly pretty little girl on the playground. My colleague tells me she is on the swings. She has long, curly hair pulled back with a white headband." Hutchins paused for effect. "He likes little girls, Tony, if you know what I mean. He likes their smooth skin and their soft little bodies."

Tony could taste bile in his mouth and had to swallow hard to keep himself from becoming physically ill. He found his voice; it was soft and threatening. "If you touch so much as a hair on that child's head, I will hunt you down and kill you, you son of a bitch!"

"I don't think you are in a position to threaten me, Tony. Your daughter will be safe if you just follow my instructions." Hutchins paused. He took Tony's silence as tacit agreement. "Leave your office. Say nothing to anyone and take the elevator to parking level 2. I will be in a black limousine near the elevator." Hutchins stopped; he could hear Tony typing on a computer. "Stop typing, Tony. Make no attempt to get a message to anyone. I can hear everything that you are doing, surely you must know that. Close the laptop. I want to hear it snap shut. My man is well armed; he can easily get onto that playground and grab one small child without being stopped. All I have to do is give him the signal. By the time you find Sophie, you will need more than dental records to identify her." Tony stopped what he was doing. The mental picture was unbearable. He closed the laptop.

"Very good, Tony," Hutchins said with a hint of amusement in his voice. "Now do as I've instructed you and Sophie won't be harmed. Bring your laptop so I can make sure no messages have been sent. If they have, Sophie is as good as dead. You have 90 seconds to get to the limousine or I will give my man the go ahead to grab your daughter."

Tony put on his jacket and picked up his laptop. He strode silently out of the office desperately looking for any way to get a message to someone in the office. His heart pounded in his throat as he left the office and called the elevator. He looked at his watch and counted the seconds. It was an eternity until the elevator opened and Tony anxiously stepped forward to get in. As he did, he brushed past Rita who was coming back from lunch.

"Mr. Almeida," she said surprised. "I didn't think you were going out for lunch."

"I changed my mind." He said without looking at her.

"Don't forget you have an appointment at 2:00." She called as the door closed. Tony raised his hand in silent acknowledgement. Rita watched the doors close and wondered why he was taking his laptop to lunch. His behavior of late was unusual. She shook her head and stepped back into the office.


	9. Missing

_Hi and thanks to everyone who has been reading and reviewing. Some of you have been really faithful about reviewing and I really appreciate it. I've seen some new names among the reviews, thanks for reviewing and letting me know that you are out there. If you have been reading but haven't reviewed, please, please please review! I accept anonymous reivews. _

_Now, on with the story._

Chapter 9: Missing

Tony stepped off the elevator and walked directly to the limousine. He looked at the driver who was standing next to the passenger side rear door pretending to wipe smudges from its glossy finish. "I'll take the laptop." He said as he opened the door and handed it to Hutchins. "Put your hands against the side of the car." He told Tony then proceeded to pat him down looking for a weapon. When he was satisfied that Tony was unarmed, he cuffed his hands in front of him and opened the door. "Get in." He ordered Tony.

Tony got into the limousine and looked directly at Hutchins who sat with Tony's computer opened on his lap. "Very good, Tony. You didn't try to send any messages. You take direction well when you have some incentive."

"You've got me." Tony said. "It's me that you want. My daughter isn't involved in this. Tell your men to get away from her. You can kill me, just leave my family alone."

"You're not exactly in a position to tell me what to do, Tony. I'm not killing you just yet. I can use you for leverage. I'll call my men off in due time, assuming that you cooperate." Hutchins turned to the driver and said "Let's go."

It was almost 1:15 when Lindsay O'Neill, one of Tony's analysts stopped at Rita's desk. "Have you seen Tony?" Lindsay asked. "I was supposed to meet with him fifteen minutes ago and I can't find him."

"He left for lunch around noon." Rita answered. "Come to think about it, I haven't seen him since. I'll try and call him on his cell." She made a face as she listened to the phone. "That's odd. It went straight to voice mail. I've worked here four years and the only time his phone has gone straight to voice mail was when his wife was in labor."

Frank Healy, the other analyst rounded the corner. "Hey, Frank," Lindsay said, "have you seen Tony recently? Rita said he left for lunch over an hour ago and hasn't come back. He's not answering his cell either."

"His car is in the parking garage. I just ran down to get something out of my car ten minutes ago and his car is parked where it was when I came in this morning." Frank said.

"I'm sure he'll be back." Rita said. "He has a 2 o'clock appointment and I mentioned it to him as he left. He's been acting strangely recently."

"Tell me about it." Frank agreed. "He jumped all over my case yesterday over nothing. Did you see him this morning? He looked like he hadn't slept." Frank was a former CTU analyst who had started at CTU just a few months after Tony took over as director. He was a good analyst but was a bit of a free spirit who never quite got the hang of taking orders without questioning them first. While Tony was director that was alright; Tony never blindly followed anyone's lead either. He recognized Frank's talent and was secure enough in his position that he wasn't afraid of being questioned. The temporary director that was appointed after Tony clashed badly with Frank. Eventually Jeff DuBose was named director and although he was less threatened by Frank, he, too had difficulty putting up with him. When Tony was looking for an analyst about a year after coming back to LA, Frank was immediately interested. Tony liked him because he didn't need constant coaching and could think for himself. It seemed that Frank had finally found his niche.

"It's none of my business," Rita started, "but I think something is going on between he and his wife. He's been acting strangely for the last few weeks, and she was downright surly for a couple of months. She seems better now, though. Anyway, I'll call you when he gets in, Lindsay." Rita promised.

Tony's 2 o'clock appointment came and went without Tony ever showing up or calling. Rita apologized repeatedly to the client who sat patiently for almost a half hour before leaving with a disgusted look on his face.

At this point, Rita had become worried, as had Frank and Lindsay. Rita finally decided to call Michelle.

"Hello," Michelle answered.

"Mrs. Almeida, this is Rita Corbin."

"Oh, hi Rita. How are you?" Michelle asked.

"I'm fine Mrs. Almeida. I was just wondering if you had been in touch with your husband recently. He left for lunch a couple of hours ago and he hasn't come back. He missed a 2 o'clock appointment and that just isn't like him. I've tried to call him, but his phone switches right over to voice mail. His car is in the garage so wherever he went, he walked."

Michelle felt her heart begin to pound. She leaned against the wall for support. Her years with CTU told her that Tony had not left the office voluntarily. She knew that this mission had somehow blown up in his face. "Rita, did he leave the office alone or was he with someone?"

"No, Mrs. Almeida, he was alone."

If Tony walked out of the office alone, that meant that someone was using a threat to force him to comply. The only threat he would take seriously was one against her or the kids. Michelle recovered quickly. "You know, Rita, he really didn't feel well this morning. I wonder if he decided to stop at his doctor's office. That's within walking distance. I'll call over there and see if I can track him down." She kept her voice steady as adrenaline rushed through her system.

"Yeah, he didn't look well. That's probably what happened." Rita agreed. It was a simple enough explanation and she had no reason to doubt Michelle. "We were just a little worried. I'm sorry I had to bother you."

"No, I'm glad you did. I'll talk to you later." Michelle hung up and swallowed hard. She had to think. She had to keep her wits about her. She knew from experience that if Tony had been kidnapped as she thought he had that the likelihood of him making it out alive was slim. Right now she had to concentrate on protecting herself and the children. She took some deep breaths and got back some control. First she had to make sure the kids were safe and then she needed to talk to Hammond. She made herself concentrate on the kids first.

John was napping in his crib. Joe was outside playing with Nathan next door and Sophie was at school. She would get Joe in the house first. She ran to the back door and stepped onto the patio. "Hi, Judy," she yelled to her neighbor trying to sound calm. "Send Joe home please. I need him to come in for a while."

Joe said goodbye to his friend and ran to his mother. "Why do I have to come in? Nate and I were having fun. I was being good for Miss Judy."

Michelle rushed him into the house and closed the blind on the sliding glass door. "I know you were, Sweetie. I just have some things to do and I wanted you to be in the house when your brother wakes up. Go upstairs and play in your room and when you hear the baby, go in his room and keep him occupied." She took him in her arms and held him tightly. "Please, Sweetie. I love you. Just do this for Mommy, please." Her voice was wavering and she was shaking all over.

Joe struggled to get out of his mother's arms. "Ouch, Mom you're hurting me. I can't breathe." Michelle realized what she was doing and let go.

"Just go upstairs, Honey." She said trying to compose herself.

Next she needed to make sure that Sophie was safe. As she grabbed a portable phone and dialed, she ran up the steps to her bedroom. The phone rang as she opened Tony's closet door.

"Hello," said the voice on the other end.

"Father Marty, it's Michelle Almeida." She could no longer control her quivering voice and she closed the bedroom door so Joe, who was playing in the next room couldn't hear her crying.

"Michelle, what's wrong?" the priest responded.

"Father, I need your help."

"Michelle," he said in a calm voice. "I talked to Tony this morning, he said you two might want to talk to me."

"No, no Father, this is different. This is an emergency. I need you to go over to the school and make sure that no one but me tries to pick up Sophie, not even Tony. If someone tries to pick her up, you have to stall them. Tell them she's taking a test. Tell them whatever, but stall them and call me. Without trying to scare you, there are federal agents watching the school. If I have to, I can get in touch with them and they will handle the situation. Don't tell anyone that you have talked to me." She paused trying to get her breath. "Can you do that, Father?"

"Of course I can do that Michelle, but what is this all about? Are any other children in danger? If other children are in danger, I have to call the police, Michelle."

"I can't tell you any more, Father. I don't think they would do anything to hurt other children because it would attract too much attention. They only want Sophie and they would want to take her quietly."

"Are you coming now to pick her up?"

"No, I'll pick her up at the usual dismissal. I need to follow my usual routine. If I don't they'll realize that we've figured out what is going on and that will put Tony in more danger than he already is. I have to wait until dismissal to get her."

"I understand." Father Marty answered. "Does this have something to do with a case from when you two were with CTU?"

"Yes, it does, but I can't say anything more." Michelle couldn't tell him the truth. "Father, I have to make another call, please go over to the school as soon as possible."

"I'm on my way, Michelle. Call me again if you need me."

Michelle had composed herself somewhat. She wiped her eyes with the back of her hand and tried to remember what she was doing before she called Father Marty. The gun, she thought, I was getting Tony's gun.

She reached to the back of the top shelf and found Tony's 9mm safely out of the children's reach and unloaded. She slipped it into the back waistband of her pants and pulled her maternity shirt down over it. The ammunition was in the safe in the basement. She trotted down the stairs again dialing the phone. This time she was calling Hammond.

"CTU, Rosetti," said the receptionist.

"This is Michelle Almeida. I need to speak to Brad Hammond."

"I'm sorry, Mr. Hammond is in a meeting and can't be disturbed. Can I take a message?"

"This is an emergency!" Michelle hissed through gritted teeth. "Put him on the phone right now!"

"Hold, please," she answered.

"Mr. Hammond," the intercom interrupted the meeting between Hammond, DuBose and Baker. "I have Michelle Almeida on line two. She is insisting on talking to you. She said it's an emergency." The three men exchanged worried glances.

"I'll take the call, Gina. Thank you."

"Is Agent Baker there with you?" Gina asked.

"Yes, Gina, I'm here." Baker answered.

"Trey Donovan was trying to get in touch with you. He asked me to have you call him when you got a chance."

"I'll call him now. Thanks." Baker got up and walked into the hall to return the call. Donovan was probably calling to complain. He had spent the last few weeks watching Immaculate Heart of Mary School and made no secret that he thought that 'babysitting Almeida's kid' was a waste of time.

Hammond picked up line two. "This is Brad Hammond." He said with authority.

"They've got him, Brad." Michelle said angrily.

"What are you talking about, Michelle?"

"Tony. He's missing and I'm sure they've got him."

"Who is 'they'?"

"Brad, I know what's going on. Don't treat me like I'm stupid. Tony told me last night. His secretary just called to say no one can find him. He left his office around noon without telling anyone where he was going, his car is sitting where he left it this morning and he's not answering his cell."

Baker walked back into the conference room. "Brad," he said.

"Hold on, Michelle." Hammond covered the receiver with his hand.

"My men over at Tony's daughter's school said there is some suspicious activity near the school. There are a couple of Asian men casing the place. I told them to keep an eye on them but not to approach them unless they make any move toward the school."

"Good," Hammond said. "Call the guys watching Almeida's office. Ask them if they've seen him leave the building. Let the team at his house know that something is up. Tell them to move in as close as possible without being seen."

Baker walked out of the room again. "Michelle, sit tight for a few minutes while we sort this out. We're watching your daughter's school."

"Yeah, I know," Michelle interrupted.

"Are you and your other children in the house?"

"Yes, and I'm armed. I just loaded Tony's 9mm."

"Stay in the house, don't go anywhere. Baker's going to get reports from the teams at Tony's office and your house."

"I have to pick up Sophie and two other kids at 3:30 at school." Michelle told him.

"I'll get back to you before that. Call another parent and have the other kids picked up by someone else. I only want you to get your daughter and be ready to move to a safe house. So pack the necessities for you and your children. Don't talk to anyone, not even Tony's family. His safety depends on Yuen's people thinking we haven't discovered that he's gone yet." The two hung up and Hammond squeezed his eyes shut in order to think.

"DuBose, find out what is going on at the house where Yuen's men stored the arms."

"Right away." Jeff said as he picked up the phone.

"Baker," Hammond yelled. "Do you have anything from those teams yet?"

"The team outside Tony's office said they haven't seen him since he entered the garage this morning. They have the tags on every car that left the garage since Tony was last seen. I'll have Adam start checking them out with the MVA. The team at the house hasn't seen any increased activity but they are moving in closer."

"Call Michelle with that information, Baker. We better get a safe house ready, too. I don't think it's safe to leave her in that house with three kids. We can watch them better in one of our places."

"Done," Baker answered as he left the room.

DuBose entered the room as Baker exited. "The team watching Yuen's men said nothing has happened since last night. Nothing at all, Brad. Does that sound strange to you?"

"Maybe they're trying to lay low." Hammond speculated.

"Well they are lying real low. The guys said that the men unloaded the arms as soon as they got back to the house last evening. They had pizza delivered around 9 o'clock. Hutchins entered the house alone around 10pm and left at about 2:10am. Since that time no one has entered or exited, there hasn't even been any movement. It's almost 3pm. Even if they all got drunk last night and passed out they should be awake by now. I think we should take a closer look at the house."

"That's risky. They're obviously well armed and even if they don't take defensive action, it's going to blow our cover. They will know we're watching them."

"Oh, for God's sake, Brad. Our cover is blown if they have Tony!"

"Not necessarily. They may not realize that he's working for us. They may just plan to cover their tracks by getting rid of him, that way he can't come back and blackmail them or anything."

"I don't think we should take that chance. We don't have to storm the house. I just think we can get a better look at it. I can have one of the guys go up to the door and pretend to be a salesman or someone from a utility company. It just gets us a little closer to the house."

"Alright, go ahead, but be careful. We also need to set up roadblocks, watch the airports, bus terminals, train stations, any route out of LA. Circulate Tony's picture and Hutchins' picture in all of those places. See if anyone remembers seeing them. You better get the phone records of the incoming calls to Almeida's office. Maybe Hutchins got careless and called from a location we can identify."

"I'm on it." DuBose responded. "I'll get started, but I think you better hold a briefing for the senior staff in the next few minutes. We are going to need everyone working on this."

Hammond nodded. "Call Bob Warner and let him know what is going on. Put a couple of security agents on him as well. Also, call Chung Yee from South Korean intelligence. If Yuen thinks we're on to him, he may try to run. I want him followed at all times."

DuBose was jotting down notes and nodded his head silently in agreement. "Do you want Bob Warner in a safe house?"

"No, I think it is enough to put security on him. If Yuen wanted him, he would have already taken him." Hammond rubbed his forehead and heaved a soft sigh. "It's going to be a long night, Jeff."

"I was thinking the same thing." DuBose answered quietly.


	10. Manhunt

_Hi again and thanks to everyone for reading and especially for reviewing. I can't help it, reviews just make me happy._

_Just to clear up some confusion before it happens (someone mentioned this in a review of an earlier chapter). Tony and Michelle's youngest child is named 'John'. Tony nicknamed him 'Dess', short for 'Dessler', his middle name. Michelle is the only person who calls him 'John', so when the story is looking at a situation from Michelle's point of view, the child will be referred to as 'John'. Hope that helps._

_Now, on with the story._

Chapter 10: Manhunt

By the time anyone realized that Tony was missing, he was on a plane heading north. They had driven about a half hour from Tony's office to a private airpark where Hutchins had a small jet waiting. He warned Tony that his men were still watching Sophie's school and if he made any false move, Hutchins would instruct them to grab her. Hutchins had found Tony's weak spot and planned to exploit it for all it was worth. He reminded Tony quietly about his associate's predilection for little girls and watched while Tony tried unsuccessfully to hide a grimace. Tony walked silently onto the plane keeping his head down as he had been instructed.

The CTU office was a flurry of activity. The senior staff had been briefed and reports were coming in every few minutes. Phone records indicated that Tony had received a short call just a few minutes before his secretary saw him get on the elevator. The call came from Hutchins' cell phone. Unfortunately, that didn't help them to identify Hutchins location. Agents were canvassing all of the airports and train and bus depots hoping that someone would remember seeing either Tony or Hutchins. The state police had set up road blocks on major routes out of the city. The Coast Guard was stopping and searching private yachts leaving the LA area.

Adam was trying to identify all of the cars that left the garage attached to Tony's office building. Most of them were identified as belonging to people who worked in the building. They were tracking down a few of the others. Of interest, a black limousine with tinted windows had left the garage during the time in question. The license plate on the limo was a fake. The tag actually belonged to a Volvo station wagon whose owner had reported the plate stolen a day earlier. Adam also found a police report from around 10am in which the owner of the Ride Away limousine service reported that one of his new limousines had been stolen.

The most disturbing report came from the team that was watching the house where Yuen's men were hiding the arms shipment. The team first tried to make contact with the terrorists by telephoning the house. They tried twice without success. Finally, an agent dressed like a lineman from the electric company walked up on the rickety porch and rang the bell. The house was an end unit of a set of row houses. The houses were all dilapidated, but this one was even more so than the neighbors. It seemed that the neighbors made some attempt to keep up their property. This one had peeling paint on the porch and window frames along with two upstairs windows that were broken and boarded up. The agent waited for a minute or two and then rang again. At that point he walked down off the porch and looked in through a window into a small messy room littered with pizza boxes and beer bottles. The room had little furniture but did have a television. Nothing seemed amiss in this room.

The agent walked around the back of the house and knocked on the back door. Again there was no answer so he began looking in windows. To the left of the back door, was a window to a small bedroom. This room was also sparsely furnished with only a desktop computer workstation on top of a small desk and a mattress on the floor.

The glare of the late afternoon sun made it difficult for the agent to see in the window. He repositioned himself and he cupped his hands around his eyes to get a better view. "Morrison," he said over his two way radio, "Get some men back here. I think we have probable cause to enter the dwelling."

"What did you find, Lance?"

"It looks to me like we've got a body in the back bedroom."

Morrison called DuBose and a team secured the house and then entered it. They found the bodies of the six men that had unloaded the arms shipment at Warner Enterprises. Each had been shot twice at close range while he slept. Based on the number of beer bottles in the front room, the men were probably all pretty drunk and may have even passed out when they finally went to bed. Hutchins had probably walked quietly from room to room putting the gun to each man's head and then firing twice. He had likely used a silencer to prevent anyone in the neighboring row house from hearing him.

The discovery of the six bodies was particularly unsettling to Hammond and DuBose. The fact that Hutchins had killed them and left the arms behind meant that Yuen knew he had been set up. He obviously killed these men to keep the feds from getting to the rest of his cell. He was willing to sacrifice the arms to keep the cell safe. Hammond quickly issued an APB for Hutchins. He also had the teams watching Tony's family and Bob Warner move in closer; they no longer needed to hide. They needed to be as close to their charges as possible. He instructed DuBose to call Chung Yee from South Korean intelligence again. This time he was to instruct Chung to arrest Yuen. Finally, Hammond hastily called a press conference. He decided that the best way to find Hutchins and, hopefully, Tony was to get their pictures out via the news media. He would explain to them that Hutchins was a drug dealer with ties to a Korean terrorist and that he had kidnapped a government agent. He hoped that by splashing their pictures on every media outlet he could find that someone might remember seeing them.

While the press conference was being arranged, Hammond called Michelle back to keep her abreast of what was happening. He warned her that the press conference would take place within the next hour and that she might want to notify Tony's family before they had to see it on television. He offered to send agents to talk to Tony's parents in person if she preferred. Michelle had pulled herself together since Hammond had talked to her less than an hour earlier. She was no longer Michelle Almeida, wife and mother; she was Agent Dessler again. She was the tough, no nonsense, quick thinking federal agent that Hammond had met over a decade ago. She would talk to Tony's parents, she told him, but asked that he have an agent stationed with them to keep them updated on the status of the investigation. This was not an unusual request and Hammond granted it without hesitation.

Hammond also confirmed for Michelle that he would be moving her and the children to a safe house. He directed her to pick up Sophie at the regular dismissal time. She would be escorted by the CTU team that was watching her house and they would direct her to the safe house.

Michelle got off the phone with Hammond and made the necessary phone calls. The most difficult call to make was to her in-laws. They were stunned by the revelation that Tony had been forced to work for the CIA again and the thought that he had been kidnapped was terrifying to them. Michelle put the best possible face on the situation and made sure Tony's parents knew that CTU was doing everything possible to get him back alive.

The next call Michelle made was to Jack who admitted that Tony had talked to him about this mission. He and Tony had discussed it several days ago and it all seemed to be going well. He also knew of his father-in-law's involvement and was happy to hear that Hammond had put protection on him.

Jack, like Michelle, knew that the odds of getting Tony out of this alive were poor at best. After ending his conversation with Michelle, Jack stood up and walked down the hall and into Chase's office. Chase glanced up from what he was doing and knew immediately by the look on his father-in-law's face that something bad had happened.

"Jesus, Jack, what's wrong?" Chase asked almost afraid to hear the answer. "Is Kim alright? The kids? Kate? Jack what's going on?"

"It's Tony." Jack said blankly. He dropped into a chair across from Chase's desk and related the entire story to him.

Chase shook his head as Jack stood and started walking out of his office as abruptly as he had walked in. "Where are you going?" He asked.

"I'm going home to tell Kate so she doesn't hear it on the news. After that I'm going to CTU."

"Why are you going to CTU? Last I heard you didn't work for them anymore."

Jack smiled. "Because I don't trust Hammond. I want to make sure that he is making an all out effort to find Tony."

"You don't think DuBose will make sure of that? He and Tony have been friends for years."

"Jeff is a good guy and he's competent, but if Hammond puts any pressure on him to limit the investigation, he'll cave. I just want to be there to make sure that doesn't happen."

Chase stood and grabbed his jacket and laptop. "Then I'm going with you. I'll go home and tell Kim and then meet you at CTU. I don't intend to let Hammond sacrifice Tony. And who knows," he added, "maybe they can use an extra pair of hands at CTU."

Tony sat on the airplane high above the west coast of North America knowing that it was very unlikely that he would be freed by his captors or rescued by the CTU. He wondered if anyone even realized that he was missing yet. He knew that Rita would question why he had missed his 2 o'clock appointment, but also knew that he had acted so strangely over the last few weeks that she might just write it off as part of his new, bizarre behavior. Michelle might question it when he didn't come home that evening, but that would be hours from now. Besides, considering how he left home this morning, he thought as he glanced down at his hand and his missing wedding band, she might not think it so strange that he didn't come home. It might even be tomorrow before she started to wonder where he was. By then he would be far away and, very possibly, dead.

The thought didn't scare him; he wasn't afraid of dying. He was more concerned with what he was leaving behind and regretting all that he would miss. He would be leaving Michelle to raise three, no, actually four children. His years with her had been so wonderful but they had also been short. He had looked forward to raising their children and eventually growing old together. He imagined them together watching their children graduating from college and getting married and having children of their own. Now it was all just a dream, a sad but beautiful dream that would likely never be fulfilled.

He thought about his children; their whole lives ahead of them but with no father to lead them through life's most difficult moments. Sophie and Joe would remember him, but Dess wouldn't. At least Dess would have pictures of Tony holding him, the baby that Michelle was carrying, the one that wouldn't be born for another four months wouldn't even have that. Tony thought about that child, he didn't even know the sex of the child and he and Michelle hadn't discussed a name yet.

Thinking about his children caused Tony to begin worrying about Sophie again. He had to know that she was safe. He had resigned himself to the fact that he was going to die and he felt confident that Michelle was strong enough to deal with that. He was concerned, however, that if they killed Sophie as well that Michelle would not be able to cope with that loss. "Mr. Hutchins," Tony said in a mild voice. "I know I'm not in a position to ask questions, but I have to know if my daughter is safe."

Hutchins stared coldly at him, "She's safe for now along with the rest of your family. If you keep cooperating, you won't have to worry about them." He looked away at the thick, puffy clouds that filled the sky and said nothing more.

Brad Hammond ended his press conference and returned to the CTU situation room. All of the major players were there getting constant status updates from their teams. DuBose ended a phone call just as Hammond entered the room.

"What's the latest?" Hammond asked.

"You're not going to like this one." DuBose warned him. "That was South Korean intelligence. They can't find Yuen."

"I thought they had an agent who had infiltrated Yuen's company."

"They do, but remember, with the time difference, it's the middle of the night over there. Yuen left his office at about 7pm in Seoul and went home. They weren't keeping a 24 hour surveillance on him. They watched his house until about 10:30. All the lights were out and that is the time he usually goes to bed. The team left and planned to resume about 5:30 in the morning. When we told them to arrest him, they went into the house and no one was there." Jeff paused. "Chung has his people watching all of the airports, train stations and all the rest of the means of escape, but Yuen probably has a several hour head start on them. He could be out of the country by now."

Hammond rubbed his forehead. "Do we have any good news, people?" He called out to his staff.

"I might have something." Adam said hopefully. "A grounds keeper at a small, private airpark about a half hour out of the city thinks that he recognizes Tony from the pictures we circulated. He said he was dressed in dark clothes, which is accurate according to what Michelle told you, and walked with his head down onto the plane. He was with an Asian man, but the grounds keeper couldn't identify the other man."

"Do we have any information on the plane they got on?"

"The only plane that left the airpark during the time in question was a small Learjet. They filed a flight plan for Portland, Oregon but we've talked to all of the airports in and around Portland. None of them have a record of the flight landing. In fact, we have talked to air traffic control all over the west coast and east as far as Denver and no one has talked to a flight using the call sign of the Learjet and no one is reporting having a flight on their radar that isn't communicating."

"So what does that mean?" Brad asked.

Adam speculated, "It's possible that the groundskeeper at the airpark is wrong and he didn't see Tony."

"But the Learjet took off and hasn't been seen or heard from since. How does that happen?" Brad queried.

"The pilot probably turned their transmitter off and they could be flying low so they are below radar. It's possible to do, especially if you know the route well."

"Alright, that seems to be our only lead right now, so keep on it." Brad turned and looked at Baker, "Is Almeida's family in protective custody yet?"

"Michelle got to the safe house with the kids about 15 minutes ago." Baker answered.

"Put a double layer of protection on that house. We can't take any chances with the family."

"I already did that." Baker assured him.

Hammond thanked him and looked around. Everyone was working hard and following up every possible lead. No one had even mentioned going home. They all knew how serious this was. For some of them Tony Almeida was a friend and one-time coworker and working to ensure his safety was of utmost importance. Others didn't know Tony, but had heard of him in the context of the nuclear and bioterrorist attacks of several years ago. They, too, worked tirelessly to save him out of respect for his service to his country. Brad squeezed his eye shut for a moment. No matter how hard they all worked he feared that it wouldn't be enough. Everyone in front of him was hoping to see this end with a triumphant rescue, but Brad knew too well that it was far more likely to end with a flag-draped casket being removed from a military aircraft.

The thing that bothered Brad was that he wasn't sure which he was more concerned with: Tony's safety or the public relations nightmare that would ensue if Almeida was murdered. He certainly didn't want Tony dead, but dying in the line of duty was just a given for Hammond. He always assumed that he would be killed on the job, especially when he was undercover in the Soviet Union. He did feel a little guilty that Tony really wasn't a CIA agent any longer, but that little clause in his pardon gave Hammond an out and made it easy for him to push away any guilty feelings that crept in.

No, Brad knew that if Tony died, he was going to be neck deep in shit. Tony had become something of a folk hero when he was playing fugitive in Argentina. Michelle was on all of the talk shows and the American people fell in lover with her. She was able to get sympathy from every corner of the country. When Tony was pardoned and came home, it was the stuff movies are made of, the beautiful couple reunited, now a family with an adorable little girl. The whole thing made Brad sick to his stomach. The problem was that those same people were going to demand an investigation into why a civilian, who had no real training in undercover work, was sent into such a potentially dangerous situation. There would likely be senate subcommittee investigation and he would be compelled to testify. His career would be ruined. He would be forced to resign. Of course, he would still get his pension, but what would he do with his life. His entire adult life had been consumed by the CIA. He didn't have friends or hobbies, he didn't want to travel. He had intended to work as long as he could; now it was all falling apart and he found himself blaming Tony.

Hammond shook his head and looked at DuBose. "Could today possibly get worse?" He asked.

As if on cue, a voice behind him said, "Gee, Brad, I'm sorry you're having a bad day."

Brad knew the voice immediately and turned toward it. "Jesus Christ, Bauer. Oh, and Edmunds, isn't this a treat! What are you two doing here? Who let you in? I thought this was a secure building. I accepted your resignations years ago, so get the hell out of here."

"We just wanted to stop by and see if you needed any help." Jack told him.

"The way it works, Jack, is if I need you, I call you. I don't remember calling you, so again get the hell out and take junior here with you." He said gesturing toward Chase.

"Let me rephrase that, Brad. We want to make sure that you are doing everything possible to find Tony and to bring him home in one piece. I know what it's like to run this kind of investigation and you can always use two extra hands. Chase and I can work on non-classified stuff." Jack looked down. "Look, Tony's my friend, I just want to know if ... if he doesn't make it out of this alive that I did everything I could. Let us help."

"Alright," Brad sighed. "You two can stay. I think Adam has some work that needs follow up. See him." Jack and Chase exchanged wry smiles.

It was getting late and Michelle was trying to tuck her children into bed for the night. Somehow it wasn't going quite as well as she would have liked. John, who wasn't a good sleeper even in his own crib, was fussing angrily as Michelle tried to make him sleep in a crib he wasn't used to. She had brought all of his favorite stuffed animals and his blanket and she read him his favorite story, but it wasn't working. She found herself rapidly losing patience and finally just kissed him and put him into the crib crying. Michelle was at the breaking point, her nerves completely frazzled and she decided that the best thing for both her and John was for him to cry himself to sleep. She hated to do that, but felt she didn't have any choice.

She took a deep breath as she closed the door and turned her attention to Sophie and Joe. If it was frustrating to listen to John cry, it was actually more difficult to deal with Sophie and Joe who were obviously confused by the whole situation. Without notice they had been taken from their home and Michelle was offering them little in the way of explanation. They were full of questions: Why were they staying here? Where was Daddy? When would he get there? Who were all of the men and women who were in and around the house and why didn't they ever smile?

Michelle answered their questions as best she could without alarming them. Joe seemed satisfied with the answers, but Sophie wasn't. She seemed to sense that something was wrong and hung close to her mother. She was a happy and fun-loving child much like her father but at times she would become serious and overly mature for her age, like Michelle had been as a little girl.

"Daddy didn't kiss me goodbye before he left." Sophie told Michelle while she was being tucked into bed.

"Sophie, I know Daddy kissed you when he dropped you off at school." Michelle said to her.

"But he always gives me extra kisses and a great big hug if he has to go on a trip. I get a morning kiss and a bedtime kiss for every day he's going to be gone. He didn't do that this time." She pouted.

"Daddy didn't know he wasn't going to be with us tonight, Sweetie. This all happened suddenly." Michelle told her. "Your father loves you with all of his heart, Sophie. Don't ever forget that no matter what happens. If he could be with us tonight, he would be." Michelle turned away from Sophie and swallowed hard, trying to compose herself. She pretended to adjust the covers on the bed.

"When I say my prayers tonight, I'm going to pray that Daddy comes home soon so I can give him a big kiss. Is that a good idea, Mommy?"

Michelle could barely contain herself. "Oh, yes, Sophie. That's a very good idea." She whispered as she kissed her daughter good night and turned out the light.


	11. Hostage

Chapter 11: Hostage

Adam was right about the Learjet that took off from the private airpark. Tony was on it and the plane was headed for Vancouver. As Adam suggested, the pilot had turned off his transmitter and flown below the radar. He was an experienced pilot who flew this route regularly for several Asian businessmen who had connections in Vancouver. He had never flown for Hutchins before and, although Hutchins was paying him well – over twice his usual fee, in cash – he had already decided that he would never fly for him again. As soon as Hutchins offered to pay him in cash, he knew that the man's business was illegal. That didn't bother him all that much; he suspected that some of his other clients had illegal businesses as well. He didn't even care when Hutchins insisted that he file a false flight plan. It wasn't until after takeoff when Hutchins entered the cockpit and ordered him to turn off his transmitter and fly below radar that he became uneasy. The pilot argued briefly with Hutchins, but was frightened by veiled threats from Hutchins.

The plane landed without incident. The pilot knew the air traffic controllers there well from his many trips in and out of the airport. It was a small, business airport and the controllers didn't stand on formality. Most of the pilots flew in and out on a daily basis, so it didn't surprise them when the pilot asked to land without giving them a call sign. They did question his lack of transmitter, but he acted surprised saying that it had been working earlier and that he would have the mechanics check it out when he landed. The two air traffic controllers on duty had been busy that afternoon. So busy, in fact, that neither of them had had time to read the message that came across the fax machine from the FAA regarding the Learjet.

Shortly before landing, Hutchins removed Tony's handcuffs and gave him a change of clothes. Tony changed from his black wool slacks, pull-over and tweed sport coat into the jeans, polo shirt and tennis shoes that Hutchins gave him. When he was dressed, Hutchins gave him a baseball cap and glasses with gray tinted lenses. The change of clothes ensured that he looked little like the description that had been faxed to all airports in North America. Hutchins also provided Tony with a fake US passport and luggage (since passengers traveling without luggage were considered a "red flag" by airport security).

Tony and Hutchins descended from the plane and were met by a limousine on the tarmac. The limousine took them to the international airport in Vancouver where they were just a few minutes early to board a KAL flight to Seoul. The security screeners scolded them for not arriving 90 minutes early for the overseas flight as was recommended. Hutchins apologized profusely while Tony remained silent.

When the flight attendant took drink orders, Hutchins asked for bourbon and water. He waited for her to walk away, pocketed the little bottle of bourbon and handed the water to Tony along with a large capsule containing an illegal sedative. He needed to make sure that Tony slept for the majority of the trip. He knew Tony was resourceful and was concerned that he would make some attempt to slip a note to the flight attendant or otherwise get the attention of the crew. Hutchins himself had to sleep and couldn't take the chance that Almeida would use that time to get help.

"Take this." He said quietly as he put the cup and capsule on the tray in front of Tony.

Tony sat unmoving. Hutchins had talked to his associates in LA and already knew that CTU had found the bodies in the house, was now looking for Tony and had his family protected. Of course, Tony didn't know that and, for the time being, Hutchins could still use threats against his family to get Tony to comply with his demands. But Hutchins knew that such threats would only work for another couple of hours. After that, Tony would realize that he had been out of contact with everyone long enough for people to start to worry and report him missing. Once he was reported missing, his family would be protected by CTU.

For now, Hutchins could continue to use the threat. "Your daughter is home from school. Your whole family is together." He hissed almost silently into Tony's ear. "Remember those RPGs you helped us bring into the country? My people can fire a couple of those without ever getting close to your house and turn the place into ash in seconds. Those kids won't have a chance."

Tony said nothing, but reached out and took the water and the capsule into his hand. Hutchins watched him put the capsule in his mouth then watched while he drank a sip of the water.

"All of it" Hutchins hissed again.

Tony swallowed the rest of the water. He had tried to hide the capsule inside his cheek, but it was simply too large. Besides that, it started to dissolve and the bitter powder began to spread through his mouth. He swallowed reflexively to get the taste out of his mouth. He wanted to fight the effects of the sedative, but within minutes he felt himself getting sleepy. Between the sedative and the hangover he had from last night's scotch, he succumbed quickly and fell into a deep sleep.

The night wore on slowly at CTU. They had exhausted all of the leads that had come in earlier. The Learjet still had not been heard from and neither Tony nor Hutchins had been spotted anywhere. The agents watching the safe house called to request that one of Michelle's friends or family members be allowed to come to the house. She finally broke down late in the evening after the children were asleep and was now inconsolable. Jack suggested that he could go home and stay with their children while Kate went to the safe house with Michelle. In the morning, he would take his children to the safe house to provide some company for the Almeida children and he would return to CTU. Hammond agreed; he would have agreed with anything that got Jack out of his hair even if it was only for a few hours. Unfortunately, he thought, I am left with Edmunds, but he considered Chase the lesser of the two evils so he was satisfied with that arrangement.

Tony slept through the entire flight. Hutchins was able to catch a few hours of sleep and woke Tony up about 15 minutes before they were due to land. Tony was still groggy from the sedative but was cooperative since he couldn't organize his thoughts enough to argue with Hutchins.

Hutchins took the bottle of bourbon from his pocket and splashed some of it on Tony. The he gave Tony the bottle and told him to take a drink. The sedative had left Tony looking and feeling slightly drunk. Now he smelled of alcohol and had it on his breath, which made his behavior easy to explain if anyone became suspicious.

Hutchins helped Tony to exit the plane complaining loudly in Korean that "these damn Americans just can't hold their liquor!" Everyone who heard him laughed and gave the two a wide berth. They passed quickly through customs and were met outside of the terminal by one of Yuen's men. They got Tony in the car where he promptly fell back to sleep.

It was around that same time that CTU got its first real break since the groundskeeper at the airpark recognized Tony's picture. Chloe received a call from the FAA that air traffic controllers at a small airport in Vancouver reported that the Learjet in question landed there around 6pm the night before. It seemed that the air traffic controllers on duty when the plane landed had not seen the FAA's fax before their shift ended. The next shift came on and, although they saw the fax and were on the look out for the plane all night, they did not go back to the previous shift's flight log. They assumed that shift had seen the fax and had not seen the Learjet. When the same controllers that had been on duty the previous afternoon came in to take over that morning, the subject of the Learjet came up.

"I wonder if the FAA is still looking for that plane?" One of the night shift controllers asked no one in particular.

"What plane is that?" Asked one of the incoming controllers.

"Didn't you see the fax? It came out of LA yesterday afternoon." The night shift controller handed it to the day shift.

"Ray, didn't we land this flight late yesterday? Remember, the pilot didn't use his call sign, didn't have a transmitter. He said he'd have a mechanic take a look at it."

"Yeah, I remember that. Jesus, we were so busy we never saw this fax. Why is the FAA looking for them?"

"It doesn't say. I'll call this right in."

Hammond arranged to have Canadian authorities interview the air traffic controllers and other airport employees and locate the pilot. The Learjet was still at the airport so it made sense that the pilot was not far away. They would also impound the plane and search it for evidence.

Unfortunately, the air traffic controllers could not provide any additional information. An airport employee had noticed two passengers from the jet, an Asian and a Caucasian, deplane and get into a limousine. He couldn't identify either of them, though and no one else had paid any attention to the passengers.

The search of the plane yielded no real clues as to where its passengers had gone, but clothing found matched Michelle's description of what Tony was wearing when she last saw him. The pilot was found at a nearby hotel. He admitted that he had been ordered by Hutchins, who had used an assumed name, to fly below radar, turn off his transmitter and file a false flight plan. He told authorities that he was afraid of the Asian man who had information about his family and he feared for their safety if he did not comply. He admitted that he should have contacted the FAA once Hutchins was off the plane but claimed that he feared the loss of his pilot's license if they knew of such violations. No, he said, he didn't have any idea where Hutchins and the passenger had gone once they left the plane. He saw them cross the tarmac and get into a limousine but could offer no more information. In fact, he never actually got a good look at Tony and could not identify him when given several pictures.

The mood at CTU was bleak. They were now several hours behind Hutchins and had no idea where he and Tony were. They could be virtually anywhere in the US or Canada by now, not to mention in most of Asia. A check of flights leaving Vancouver the previous evening confirmed that a flight left for Seoul about an hour after the Learjet arrived. They suspected that Tony and Hutchins were on the plane. The flight had landed in Seoul and the crew would work the return flight the next day. Hammond contacted Chung Yee in South Korea again to have his people try and find the flight crew and see if any of them could identify Hutchins or Tony.

The car in which Tony was riding reached its destination. Hutchins shook him roughly to wake him. He had handcuffed Tony again while he was sleeping. The door of the limousine was opened and Tony was ordered out of the car. Two men stood outside the car. They each grabbed one of Tony's arms and dragged him into a small dilapidated building that looked like a relic of the Korean War. Tony squinted against bright sunlight. He was still feeling sluggish and uncoordinated from the sedative and staggered as the men pulled him into the building.

The building was dark, its windows covered with years of dirt that prevented anyone from seeing in. The stark contrast between the bright sunshine outside and the darkness inside temporarily prevented Tony from seeing. A voice came from his left.

"So, Mr. Almeida, you thought you would get away with it, didn't you?" Tony recognized the voice as belonging to Yuen Lim. He didn't have time to respond before a blow to his face knocked him to the cement floor. The punch caught him on his right cheekbone with tremendous force. Being handcuffed, he was unable to break his fall, and he hit the floor face down at Yuen's feet. He was immediately aware of the taste of blood in his mouth and the feeling of blood running from his nose. Before he could take any kind of defensive position, Yuen kicked him hard in the ribs. The two men who had dragged him into the warehouse pulled him into a standing position. As soon as he was upright, a third man kicked him in the stomach. Tony doubled over in pain but was still being held up by a man on either side of him. The third man kicked him again in the stomach and then punched him in the jaw.

By the time they were finished beating him, Tony's face was covered with dirt and blood. His left eye was swollen shut and he had a long cut over his left eyebrow. His bottom lip was split. His nose was bleeding profusely and his left side and back ached from where he was kicked.

He was dragged down a flight of stairs and into a small, damp room. The air was stale and musty and the room was cold, like a root cellar. Tony was pushed forward into the room. He staggered, unable to get his balance, fell forward into the wall and crumpled to the dirt floor. The men left locking a heavy steel door behind them.

Tony laid still, his face resting on the cold floor, trying to get his breath. His eyes filled with tears and he began to cry. He was in pain and, for the first time since Hutchins took him away from his office the day before, he was scared. Until now he thought he would find a way to escape, that Hutchins would let down his guard and he would get away. Now, locked in what amounted to a dungeon, Tony could see no way out, no way to free himself to go back to his family, to all that he loved.

His head swam with images of Michelle and the children. He could see little Sophie waving goodbye yesterday morning; hear her high pitched voice saying, "Bye, Daddy. I love you." He could see Michelle at their wedding and lying in bed next to him. He thought he could feel Joe tugging at his belt loops asking him to play soccer. He watched as Dess struggled to take his first steps. The images swirled and merged and soon made little sense as Tony slowly drifted into unconsciousness.

South Korean intelligence agents quickly found the crew of the KAL flight from Vancouver to Seoul. Two of the flight attendants were able to identify both Tony and Hutchins. The two had noticed Tony shortly after takeoff and had commented on the 'handsome American'. One of the flight attendants noted that he slept the entire flight. She had hoped to get his attention by covering him with a blanket, but he didn't even stir when she did it. None of the attendants remembered serving him any drinks, but he appeared to be drunk when he left the plane and the Asian man had to help him walk, they told the Korean agents. He even smelled like alcohol, they said.

The Korean agents interviewed customs agents and a number of airport employees. Some of them remembered seeing Tony and Hutchins, but no one had any idea where they had gone when they left the airport. A skycap saw them get into a black limousine and drive away, but could give no additional information.

This information seemed to lift the spirits at CTU. They could now at least confirm that Tony was in South Korea and more importantly, still alive. Hutchins easily could have killed Tony without ever taking him from LA. Yuen was keeping Tony alive for some reason and everyone at CTU considered that a good thing. The longer Yuen held Tony, the more likely they were to find him and get him back safely. Whatever Yuen wanted, he would likely reveal it soon and he wouldn't kill Tony until the US either met his demands or refused to negotiate. Either way, it bought CTU and the South Korean authorities precious time.

Hammond sent Baker to the safe house to give Michelle an update. She had spent a largely sleepless night. She was not only terrified for Tony's safety, but felt guilty about accusing him of cheating on her. She feared that she might never get the chance to really apologize to him, to make him know how much she loved him.

Kate arrived at the safe house shortly after midnight. She would have done anything to help her good friend, but in this situation there was little she could do. Kate knew there was nothing she could say to make Michelle feel better, so she just listened. Jack had warned her that in situations like this the hostage rarely was released or rescued alive. He had cautioned her against being too optimistic.

When Baker arrived at the safe house, he took Michelle into a den and closed the door. He had known Michelle for over ten years; they had worked together at CTU. She had been a great agent and he liked working with her, but he had never seen her happier than she had been since she and Tony left CTU. They had a beautiful family and obviously shared a deep love for one another. He wished he had good news for Michelle, but just being able to tell her that Tony was alive would have to suffice for now.

Kate helped the kids with breakfast while Michelle talked to Agent Baker. Again Sophie and Joe were full of questions. Kate was saved from answering some of them when Jack walked in with Mason and Ryan. Mason and Joe were buddies and immediately ran off to play with some trucks that Mason brought with him. Kate sat on the floor to play with Ryan and Dess. Sophie wandered aimlessly through the house. She finally sat down across the room from Kate holding her white teddy bear; the one Tony gave her when he came home from Argentina. She was normally a happy-go-lucky little girl, always smiling, but right now her face was expressionless.

"Aunt Kate, who is Mommy talking to? She asked quietly.

Kate didn't know how to answer her and before she had a chance, Sophie continued. "Does he know where my Daddy is?"

The question surprised Kate and she turned her attention away from the boys. "Why do you ask that, Sophie?"

Sophie looked down and seemed to concentrate on her bear's nose. "Daddy didn't come home last night and he didn't call. He always calls when he goes away. He calls every day. And Mommy was crying last night. I heard her crying. She told one of the ladies that is staying here in the house with us that she was scared." Sophie's eyes filled with tears as did Kate's. "If Mommy is scared, she should call Daddy. Daddy would come home and she wouldn't be scared any more, right? But she can't call him if she doesn't know where he is. I thought maybe that man knew where my Daddy was."

Sophie finally burst into tears and ran to Kate throwing herself into Kate's arms. "I'm scared, Aunt Kate. I want my Daddy to come home. Maybe if we called the police they could find him." Her sentences were punctuated by sobs.

Kate stroked the little girl's back and held her. As hard as she tried to keep her voice steady, she couldn't do it. "Everybody is trying to find your Daddy, Sweetheart, so he can come home to you. I promise, everyone is doing everything they can."


	12. Yuen's Demands

_Hi Everyone! Hope you are still reading. I only got a couple of reviews on Chapter 11 and I wasn't sure if that meant that it wasn't as good as the others, that I posted in the middle of the week and no one had a chance to review or that nobody is reading any more.  (I hope it's not the last one, because I have a lot more story to go!)_

_Hope you like Chapter 12 better.  _

Chapter 12:

Tony slowly regained consciousness and became aware of his surroundings. His handcuffs had been removed and now he was shackled by his left ankle to an iron hook in the wall. He was surprised to see some light coming in under the door. When he was first locked in the room, it was incredibly dark. Now a light in the hall seeped under the door and allowed him to see a bit. A few feet away sat a bottle of water and a bowl of rice and vegetables. Tony suddenly realized how hungry and thirsty he was. He had neither eaten nor drunk in at least 36 hours and probably longer.

He slowly tried to sit up and moaned quietly in pain as he did so. His side ached as he breathed and he knew that he had broken ribs. Pain shot through his left hand as he used it to push himself up into a sitting position. He remembered being kicked in that hand, which had been cuffed in front of him, as he tried to protect his stomach from his assailants' kicks. He eventually got into a sitting position. At first he was dizzy, a wave of nausea overtaking him. He held onto the wall and leaned forward hoping that the nausea would pass. It slowly cleared after a couple of dry heaves, which caused unbelievable pain in his ribs.

He was finally able to sit straight up and straighten his legs out. He flexed his ankles and feet and bent his knees and other than some minor pain which he attributed to bruises, his legs seemed unhurt. He reached up and touched his face. He had dried blood caked along the side of his face and below his nose and mouth. He could feel that his eye was nearly swollen shut, but his vision seemed fine. His mouth was bone dry and he could taste blood. He ran his tongue along his teeth until he seemed satisfied that they were all intact. He could tell that his lower lip was also swollen and he could feel two places where his teeth had cut deeply into his lip.

He wasn't quite ready to stand yet. He sat for a few more minutes and decided that he should probably try and eat. He reached out with his right hand and took the water bottle. His left hand hurt too much to unscrew the cap, so he held the bottle between his knees and twisted the cap with his right hand. He raised the bottle to his lips and allowed a small amount of water to fall on his tongue. He gently swished the water around and then spat it out to keep from swallowing the blood that was in his mouth. After doing this twice, he allowed himself to take small sips. Once he was sure those were staying down, he drank a little more. The water was cool, the same temperature as the room, and it felt good to drink, but made him shiver a little. He thought about using some of the water to clean the blood off his face, but wasn't sure when he would get more and didn't want to waste it.

After keeping down the water for a few minutes, he reached for the bowl. Unfortunately, the rice and vegetables were the same temperature as the water but at this point it didn't matter. Tony was ravenous and had to be careful not to wolf down the entire bowl in a few seconds. Instead he took one vegetable at a time and a little bit of rice and chewed it slowly. Considering how much his jaw and lip hurt, slowly was really the only way he could chew. He eventually pushed most of the vegetables aside and ate only the rice and tofu since they barely needed to be chewed.

He finished the food and set the bowl down. After resting with his head against the wall for a few minutes, he decided that it was time to stand up. Just as he began to stand up, the steel door on the opposite wall swung open letting in so much bright light that Tony was temporarily blinded.

"Time to get up, Mr. Almeida." Yuen said as two of his men wrenched Tony into a standing position. He couldn't help but scream in pain as they pulled him to his feet. He hated giving Yuen the satisfaction of knowing how much he hurt, but couldn't stop the scream.

The bright light from the hallway was now in the room. Along with it, Yuen's men brought a straight backed chair into the room. They conversed with Yuen in Korean for a second, obviously asking him where he wanted the chair set down. Once it was in place to Yuen's liking, the men holding Tony pushed him into the chair. One of the men adjusted the light while the other picked up a video camera. He indicated to Yuen that they were ready.

Yuen stood next to Tony and looked into the camera. "Hello, President Prescott," he said. "My name is Yuen Lim and I believe I have something of yours."

The camera panned to the right and focused on Tony. "Look at the camera and state your name for the President." He directed Tony.

"Tony Almeida" he said quietly.

"I'm not sure he heard that. Repeat it." Yuen commanded.

"My name is Tony Almeida" Tony said slightly louder this time.

"Very good." Yuen looked back at the camera. "Mr. Almeida is in relatively good health at the moment, Mr. President. I would like to return him to you this way and if you work with me, I'll do that. If not, his wife will get what's left of him back in a shoe box." Yuen paused for effect. "There are two men in a prison outside of Chicago. Their names are Huong Chin and Huong Nu. They are my sons and I want them back. Very much like the Almeida family wants Tony back. You release my sons and return them to me and provide us safe passage to a destination of my choice and Mr. Almeida will go home to his family.

"I will give you some time to think about it and make the necessary arrangements. I will contact Brad Hammond at CTU Los Angeles at 12 noon Los Angeles time tomorrow and give him further instructions as to where he can pick up Mr. Almeida or Mr. Almeida's body depending on whether you want to work with me or not." The camera panned in closely on Tony so that his battered face could be seen clearly. After another 15 or 20 seconds they stopped filming.

"I think that went very well." Yuen said with a hint of amusement in his voice. "Now email that to the president." Yuen order his men as he turned to leave.

The men packed up the camera and light. Just before leaving they pushed Tony off the chair and onto the floor. He caught himself with his swollen left hand and grimaced in pain. The men laughed as they took the chair away and locked the door behind them. They turned off the light in the hallway that had been providing Tony just the faintest view of the room around him. It was dark and silent again and Tony never felt more alone in his life.

Several hours later a group of interns at the White House sat screening the president's email. Most of the email got a canned response. A few pieces that were particularly interesting actually made it to the President's desk. Emails that were in any way threatening were forwarded on to the Secret Service for follow up. Today was no exception, the majority of the email was routine and was politely answered. There was some quiet chatter among the interns and they occasionally read an especially funny or moving email out loud to their colleagues.

Everyone in the room heard the gasp from an intern named Melissa. She had been doing this for several months and was one of the more experienced email screeners. "Oh my God! Guys come over here and see this. Somebody get Secret Service on the phone. They need to see this now. This is the CIA agent from LA that they have been looking for!"

By this time her desk was surrounded by the other interns. She replayed the video attachment for them and they were as stunned as Melissa was. Someone picked up the phone and called the Secret Service office upstairs. The email was immediately forwarded to them and after viewing it they called CTU. This was clearly a break for CTU and they were glad to get it. The video was enhanced and scrutinized carefully for clues as to where it was shot. The audio was evaluated for background noise in the hope that they could hear something that might pinpoint the location.

The enhanced video and audio was sent to the South Korean intelligence agents. The agent who had infiltrated Yuen's operation recognized the room where Tony was being held immediately. It was an abandoned US Army headquarters from the Korean War. When the Americans left, the building was apparently forgotten. It was located about a half hour outside of Seoul, but the agent didn't know the exact location. The vegetation around the building was overgrown and the road to it was only visible if you knew where it was. Tony was being held in a bunker below the building. The agent had gone there with some of Yuen's employees just a month before. Yuen used the building for storage and the men had moved some crates and equipment there. One of the crates was taken down a narrow stairway to the bunker below. The crate, with markings on it that the agent remembered was sitting to Tony's right on the video.

The South Koreans, Hammond was told, were already assembling a commando unit to storm the building. The agent told his superiors that, like any army headquarters, this one was situated in such as way as to be easily defensible. It would be hard to get into the building without being seen. Not only did they need the exact location, but they needed blue prints for the building as well.

Hammond was on the phone immediately to the Army archives hoping to get a hold of the blueprints. They were almost 60 years old at this point and he hoped they were still available. It took less than an hour for the Army to provide the exact location of the abandoned HQ building, but it would take longer to find the plans for the building.

In the meantime, the South Koreans began developing an assault plan. Now that they knew the exact location, they could fly some recognizance and get an aerial view of the building. With infrared cameras, they hoped to establish the number of hostiles inside.

It took almost six hours to find the blue prints for the old Seoul headquarters building at an archive site about two hours outside of Washington D.C. The blue prints would need to be scanned and downloaded to CTU. Scanning was easy, but the results of downloading the old blue prints were poor. Graphic enhancements were necessary that weren't available on the computer at the archives. The original blue prints would need to be flown to the Pentagon where they would have the necessary equipment.

Another three hours passed before the task was finally complete and the blue prints sent to the South Korean commandos. The assault plan was largely in place by that time and the blue prints allowed them to fine tune it. It would take them another couple of hours to put the men in place and the assault would go down just before dawn in Seoul.

At CTU the mood was cautiously optimistic. The plan looked good. Jack, who had run a number of assault operations, would have run the operation differently, but still considered the plan reasonable. He knew, though, that this type of operation depended on far more than the actual plan. Taking the hostiles by surprise was probably the most important element and after seeing the recognizance photos, Jack was concerned about their ability to do that. Jack thought they would be better off parachuting into the compound, although he realized that based on conditions it was a technically difficult jump. The South Koreans, however, had rejected Jack's suggestion. Everyone knew that if Yuen's people saw the assault team and was well armed, it would be difficult to take over the building and get Tony out alive. Jack hated being thousands of miles away. He wished he was there to help, to make sure that everything was being done to keep Tony safe. He knew how much the South Koreans wanted to get Yuen and he was afraid that in their haste to get Yuen that they would forget about the American hostage, that they would consider Tony expendable.

At the safe house, Michelle was a bundle of nerves. She had asked to see the video of Tony but Hammond refused. She had a long talk with Sophie about Tony's situation. The six-year-old obviously had figured out that her father was missing; she just didn't know the details. Michelle told her that bad men were holding Tony in another country and that there were dozens of people working to rescue him. Sophie wrapped her arms around her mother's neck and hugged her for a long time. Without letting go she finally spoke, "Mommy, what if the bad men kill Daddy?"

Michelle flinched. Even though she knew it was a possibility, she hadn't let herself think it. "Oh, Sophie," she whispered through her tears, "let's not think about that right now. Let's try to think about how happy we're going to be when Daddy comes home. For right now that's a better thing for us to think about."

Sophie let go of Michelle's neck and wiped away her tears. She sat back a bit and played with Michelle's necklace. "That's Daddy's ring." She said fingering the platinum band carefully. She reached for Michelle's left hand and ran her small finger across Michelle's wedding band. "It's the same as yours only bigger." She commented.

Michelle couldn't stop the tears that traced silently down her cheeks. She stood up to get tissues for both of them. As she sat back down, Sophie put her hand on Michelle's stomach. "Mommy, do you have another baby in you tummy?"

"Yes, Sophie, I do." She answered smiling slightly.

"It's not a big baby like Dess was." Sophie told her.

"Well the baby has a lot of growing to do, Honey. It will be big like your brother in a few months. Then it will be time for the baby to be born."

Sophie didn't ask any more questions but sat close to Michelle, holding her hand, twisting her wedding band around Michelle's finger. Kate was taking care of the boys and Michelle just sat quietly with Sophie hoping to calm and reassure her. She hated seeing the little girl so scared and having to deal with such a grown up situation. She pulled Sophie closer and prayed that the nightmare would soon be over.

Dawn was fast approaching in Seoul and the closer it came the faster the hearts at CTU were pounding. Hammond had requested real time audio on the mission but it had been denied by the South Korean government. We will keep CTU briefed, Chung Yee, Hammond's South Korean counterpart, told Hammond. So there was little to do at CTU but wait.

Jack put his feet up on the desk in front of him and sat back drinking what must have been at least his sixth or seventh cup of coffee today. He was wired and his heart was practically jumping out of his chest. He called Kate who said everything at the safe house was fine and that she and their boys were going home. CTU agents were going to bring Tony's parents in to stay with Michelle. She asked when he would be coming home. When this is resolved, he told her. She noticed that he didn't say 'When Tony's safe' and it made her nervous.

"Jack," she started, "what are the odds that Tony comes home alive?"

"I don't want to talk about that, Kate." He answered in a virtual whisper. "I'll see you when I get home, Babe. Give the boys kisses for me. I love you."

Just before dawn broke in Seoul, eight commandos dressed in camouflage moved stealthily through the dense brush surrounding the abandoned US Army headquarters building. Snipers perched in nearby trees ready to shoot the two sentries that stood guard on the roof. They needed to take out the sentries simultaneously so that neither had time to warn the other or the hostiles inside. They had the sentries in their sites and were waiting for their commander to give the signal. The air was cool and clear and it rustled softly in the trees. They were fortunate, one of the snipers thought, almost no moon tonight. He focused again on his target who was fidgeting as he walked back and forth on the roof. The commander finally gave the signal and the shots rang out in the night. Both sentries fell, one was dead instantly, the other mortally wounded but conscious, grabbed his radio to warn Yuen.

Yuen's men sprang to action. They immediately put on gas masks anticipating that the assault team would shoot tear gas canisters through the windows. They were right, seconds later they heard the sound of breaking glass and the building was filled with noxious gas. This was followed by the commandos breaking in through the doors. Yuen had run down the stairs to one of the bunkers while his men hid behind storage crates and old desks. As the commandos entered, Yuen's men jumped out and opened fire. They took the commandos completely by surprise and they had little chance to return fire. The eight men of the assault team were dead in seconds.

Tony spent much of the night in the bunker below pacing back and forth. He was too cold and in too much pain to get any sleep. He had tried, but couldn't get comfortable on the dirt floor. It was so dark in the room that he had no way of keeping track of time and had no idea what time it was. For most of the night, everything was quiet. He couldn't hear any voices or the sounds of people walking on the floor above him, so he assumed that they were sleeping. Then all of the sudden, he heard several sets of footsteps moving quickly above him and someone was pushing furniture or crates across the floor. He heard a heavy door slam and it sounded as if it was right next door. He wondered if someone was in the room next to him. All was quiet for a moment then he heard what sounded like a small explosion and several sets of heavy boots hit the floor. This was immediately followed by the unmistakable sound of automatic weapons firing. Tony leaned against the wall and closed his eyes. He allowed himself to hope for a moment that someone was trying to rescue him; that he was safe and would be home with his family soon. He could almost feel Michelle in his arms and once she was there, he would never let her go again. Reality set back in and he knew that he had no idea who was doing the shooting upstairs. Anything could have happened. Yes, it could be rescuers, but it could also be Yuen's own men turning on him. It could be a rival terrorist organization. Even if it was a rescue attempt, it could fail. Rescue attempts were always risky propositions and he knew Yuen would be on the look out for one.

The sound of the weapons firing was short lived. Whatever happened, it didn't take long and was punctuated by several loud thuds which Tony assumed were bodies hitting the floor. A minute or so later, a couple of sets of footsteps came down the stairs. Tony crouched in a corner somewhat shielded by a crate in case whoever was shooting upstairs opened the door and started firing. He had tried to move the crate earlier, but it was too heavy and his left hand was so swollen and painful as to be virtually useless. He assumed that it, too, was broken. He could hear the steel door to the next room opening. The voices were muffled and unintelligible to Tony who didn't speak Korean.

The door to the bunker opened and Yuen walked in. His face was twisted and angry. "They think I am stupid!" He ranted. "They think they can send in some little assault team and surprise me. They think I can't protect myself. They killed my guards, but I killed their commandos. Now let's see if they send anyone else to come and get you." He turned and left the room slamming the door behind him.

Tony felt his body relax as Yuen left. He slumped against the crate and allowed himself to breath again. He felt sick; an assault team was dead because of him. He also knew that was likely his last chance. They wouldn't send in another assault team to meet the same fate and he knew the US government policy was not to negotiate with terrorists. There would be no more rescue attempts and no negotiation. Tony knew his fate was sealed.


	13. Losing Hope

Chapter 13: Losing Hope

Hammond sat alone in the spare office that he used whenever he was at CTU. He hated this office. Because he rarely used it, he never bothered to personalize it. There was no name plate on the desk or pictures on the walls. There was no aspirin in the desk drawer and no favorite coffee mug to drink from. Instead, his laptop sat on the clean desk and he drank coffee from a Styrofoam cup. Coffee never tastes the same in Styrofoam, he thought, but he drank it anyway.

"Mr. Hammond, I have Chung Yee on line two. I have an interpreter on stand by if you need him."

"Thank you, Gina. Chung's English is pretty good. I'll let you know if I need the interpreter. Get the President's Chief of Staff on the phone so I can give him a report as soon as I'm finished with Chung." Hammond said as he picked up the phone. Everyone was on edge waiting for this call. It had taken longer than expected and that had raised everybody's level of concern.

"Director Chung, how did the operation go?" Chung proceeded to give Hammond the details of the failed operation. Hammond listened silently, speaking only when necessary. He offered his thanks and his condolences to the families of the dead commandos then ended the call.

As soon as he hung up, Gina's voice came over the intercom. "Sir, the President is holding for you on line four."

The conversation was short. Hammond updated the president on the events of the morning. They discussed negotiating with Yuen and agreed that they couldn't. Hammond suggested another rescue operation. Chung had told him that the Koreans would not agree to another rescue attempt. They had Yuen's location surrounded and would simply wait him out. If that meant that Almeida would die, they were sorry, but it couldn't be helped. Hammond told the president that his people had discussed the South Korean's assault plan and had seen the flaws in it. They could redesign the assault and attempt it themselves. No, the president told him, the operation was too risky to attempt with only one life in the balance. If Yuen were holding several hostages, maybe he would agree, but not with only one hostage to save.

Hammond walked out of his office and into the CTU bullpen. "I need everyone's attention." He called to the staff. He walked part of the way up the steps to DuBose's office so that everyone could see him. His voice was clear but emotionless. "I just got off the phone with Chung Yee in South Korea. This morning's assault on Yuen's compound failed. Yuen's men were able to take defensive positions and ambushed the assault team. The eight team members are dead. Their bodies were dumped outside of the compound. Almeida's body was not with them, so we will assume for now that he is still alive."

"What happens now?" Baker asked.

"We wait for Yuen to contact us. He is supposed to contact us at noon our time, that's thirteen hours from now. We have no reason to believe that he won't contact us. His goal was to have his sons released from prison and I'm sure his goal hasn't changed."

"So we are just going to sit for the next thirteen hours?" Jack asked. "What are you going to say when he calls? Are you going to give him what he wants?"

"Of course not. Our policy is never to negotiate with terrorists. If we do, it will be open season on Americans around the world. Every terrorist group that we know of and a dozen that we've never heard of before would be grabbing Americans just to further their causes."

"Then that's it, you're just going to let Tony die." Jack made no attempt to hide his anger.

"Look, Jack, I don't like this any more than you do. Tony won't be the first American hostage to die because we refused to negotiate with the terrorists holding them. We've had American contractors, tourists, missionaries, aid workers that have all been murdered by various terrorist organizations. Every one of those deaths is a tragedy."

"The difference is," Jack's voice was rising steadily, "that unlike those other people who just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, Tony was PUT in the wrong place by the US government and he wasn't even being paid to be there. He's not an agent by choice, Brad. He's an agent by force."

"You're wrong, Jack. Tony didn't have to sign that clause in his pardon. He was living just fine in Argentina; he could have stayed there if he didn't want to agree to that clause. He chose to sign the clause, therefore he CHOSE to be an agent."

"Brad," Jack said getting himself under control. "I've looked at the recognizance photos and the blue prints. We could parachute a team in and take the building. It can be done, all we have to do is let Yuen think we are making plans to release his sons. It'll buy us time.

"I've been given orders by the President of the United States to stand down. I have no choice, Jack. I am following orders."

"Be reasonable, Brad. Prescott hates Tony. He's never going to agree to a rescue. We need to go outside of CTU for this rescue. Tell him you saw a good opportunity and you took it. As long as we prevail, he can't do anything about it. Once it hits the news that there's been a successful rescue, Prescott can't take any action against you or Jeff or anyone else."

"I was given an order, Jack and I will follow it." Brad hissed through clenched teeth. "I seem to remember that you followed Palmer's order without question when he ordered you to execute Ryan Chappelle." He stared coldly at Jack.

Jack's voice was quiet. "I didn't follow that order blindly, Brad. Tony and I looked for every possible way out of it and we couldn't find one. Millions of lives were at stake, so, yes, I did follow Palmer's order. I live with that every day of my life, Brad. I just hope you can live with this decision." Jack returned Brad's stare.

Having decided that it was time to break them up before the argument became any uglier, DuBose walked toward them. "Brad, I just got a call from the agents at the safe house. Tony's family is asking for an update. We're also getting a lot of requests from the media. They want to know what's going on so they can get it on the morning news cycle. If you want to do the press conference, either Baker or I can go and talk to the Almeidas."

"No," Brad sighed. "Unfortunately, talking to the family is my responsibility, Jeff. I'll go over there now. Have Gina set up a press conference for 1am. I can be back by then and it still gives the press time to get the story on the morning news." He paused for a minute. "Jeff you should probably start sending some of these people home. Some of them haven't slept in well over 24 hours. Either you or Baker should go home for a while."

"I'm going to go back to the locker room and shower. I have clean clothes in my office. I think I'm just going to try and catch a couple of hours rest on the couch in my office." Jeff told him. "I'll tell Baker he can go home."

Hammond walked slowly back to his office to get his jacket. It was the first time Jack noticed how old Brad looked. He was probably no more than sixty, but right now he looked old and tired and bitter.

Brad got in his car for the half hour long drive to the safe house. He stopped at the nearest Starbucks for a large black coffee. Nothing fancy, just a large black coffee. If he could have had a shot of whiskey right now he would have, but that wasn't an option. Caffeine would have to do for now. Facing Michelle was going to be one of the hardest things he had ever done.

He had always liked Michelle. When she first started working at Division, he, like virtually every other man in the office, was struck by her beauty. He figured that she was just another pretty face but was quickly surprised to find that she was as intelligent and analytical as she was beautiful. On top of it, she was tough and not easily rattled. Brad found himself wishing he was twenty years younger so he could ask her out. She applied for a transfer to CTU and Mason was happy to get her. Her competence had been recognized and she was sure to move through the ranks at CTU easily. Brad was sorry to see her leave Division. Not only would her efficiency be missed, but he would miss seeing her sunny smile every day. If he had been really honest with himself, Brad would have admitted that he was smitten with her.

He stopped by CTU regularly. He usually had a good reason, but if he didn't, he would think one up, just so he could see her. He noticed her talking to Tony one day and thought he saw a spark of interest in her eyes. He asked Mason if she was seeing Almeida. Mason laughed. Youth is wasted on the wrong people, Mason told him. Almeida is so hung up on what happened with Nina that he hasn't even noticed Michelle. If I were ten years younger, Mason said, I'd ask her out myself. Can you imagine her between the sheets? Mason smiled and winked at Brad.

Brad remembered charging Tony with treason for tying to protect Michelle during the bioterrorist attack. He felt he had no choice, but was secretly grateful that Tony did what he did. He couldn't imagine how sad he would have been if Michelle had been murdered. He knew he had no right to feel that way about her but he did and he couldn't help it. He had treated her badly when Tony left the country and lived as a fugitive in Argentina. He hated treating her that way, but felt that it was his job. Now he was going to have to tell her that the attempt to rescue her husband had failed. As a former agent she would know what that meant. She would know that their options were severely limited and that the US would not negotiate. In short, she would know that virtually all hope of seeing her husband alive was lost.

It was late when he arrived at the safe house, and the Almeida children were asleep. The agents had Michelle along with Tony's parents in the den waiting for Hammond. Michelle was anxiously twisting the chain on her necklace. Tony's wedding ring still hung from the chain. Hammond entered and closed the door quickly behind him. Michelle knew from his face that the news wasn't good.

She didn't bother to greet him. "Is he dead, Brad?"

"As far as we know, Michelle, Tony's still alive, but the rescue mission failed. The assault team was ambushed and killed. Yuen still wants to negotiate so he's probably going to keep Tony alive, at least for a while."

"Have you heard anything more from Yuen?" Michelle asked.

"Not yet. We expect that we'll hear from him at noon tomorrow as planned."

"Do you have plans for another rescue attempt?"

Brad looked down at the floor. "No, Michelle. There won't be any more rescue attempts."

"Are you going to negotiate with Yuen?" Michelle asked her breathing becoming rapid and shallow. She knew the answer but had to ask the question anyway.

"We can't, Michelle, you know that. I wish we could, but we can't do it without putting Americans at risk all over the world."

Michelle tried to blink back tears and maintain control. She stroked her belly gently. "Brad you can't do this." Her voice shook. "You can't just let them kill him. Brad please, don't do this." She begged him.

"Michelle I wish this could be different. I wish I could tell you I had a whole army division going in after him, but I can't."

Michelle lost control. "You bastard!" She shouted. "You bastard! I know you've always hated Tony, but how can you just stand by and watch him die? You son of a bitch, how can you do this to him?" Hammond made no attempt to defend himself.

Tony's father stepped toward her and drew her into his arms trying to calm her while he himself cried. He eased his daughter-in-law away from Hammond and led her to the couch where he and Tony's mother both hugged her. Michelle sobbed painfully. Brad couldn't bear to listen to her. He left the room so the family could be alone. He closed the door behind him and went toward the kitchen to talk to the agents stationed there. Movement on the stairs caught his eye. A pretty, sleepy-eyed little girl walked down the steps. She was wearing pink pajamas with an animated character on the front that Brad didn't recognize. He assumed that it was someone like Cinderella, but he really wasn't up on his fairy tails. She had a white love-worn teddy bear clutched under her arm. She looked down at Brad and yawned.

"Who are you?" She asked him.

"My name's Brad Hammond." He said as she reached the bottom of the steps. He was surprised when in a very grown up gesture, she extended her hand to shake his. He usually wasn't good with children, didn't really like them very much, but Tony and Michelle's daughter was enchanting. He thought hard to try and remember her name. "You must be Sophia."

"Everyone calls me Sophie," she corrected him. "Do you know where my Daddy is? Is he coming home soon?"

Brad knelt down so he could see her at eye level. "I don't know Sophie. I'd like to tell you that he's coming home soon, but I don't know that. I don't want to lie to you."

She nodded as if she understood. Somewhere behind those huge brown eyes, Brad thought she probably did understand. He pointed at her teddy bear. "What's your bear's name?" He asked.

"Argentina," she said. "My Daddy used to live there and he brought me the bear from there when he came home." Brad vaguely remembered seeing pictures in the newspapers of Tony with Michelle and Sophie when they were reunited after he was pardoned. Sophie was pictured holding the bear. She was just a baby and the teddy bear was nearly as big as she.

By that time one of the female agents had heard her. "Sophie, what are you doing up?"

"I heard people talking and I thought maybe my Daddy was home. Where's my Mommy?"

"She's talking to your grandparents. Maybe I could take you up to bed and I'll tell your Mommy that you want her. Would that be okay?" the female agent asked her.

Sophie yawned and rubbed one eye with the back of her hand. "I guess so," she said as she turned and started up the stairs. She stopped and looked back at Hammond. "Nice to meet you, Mr. Brad. Please keep looking for my Daddy."

Brad looked at the floor. He seemed to be spending much of tonight staring at the floor. He finally looked back up at her. "I will, Sophie. Good night."

Brad returned to CTU and held the press conference. He was suddenly exhausted. It was as if the last two days had finally caught up with him and he was so tired that he could barely focus. He went back to his makeshift office and took off his jacket and tie. He sat down in the big desk chair and propped his feet up on a partially opened drawer. He was cold so he laid his jacket over himself like a too-short blanket. He put his head back and closed his eyes. He was desperate for sleep, but it wouldn't come. All he could see when he closed his eyes was Sophie. He feared that the next time he saw the child it would be at her father's funeral. He kept hearing her little girl voice telling him to keep looking for Tony. He envied Tony for a moment. He had never been a father and wondered what it would be like to have a child like Sophie. He wondered what it was like to know you had created another human being, especially one as sweet and beautiful as she.

He thought, too of Michelle. He wondered if she was still crying. He wished he could have a drink. The large coffee he drank had his head spinning. He was exhausted but couldn't relax and sleep. Instead the events of the evening, his call from Chung, his conversation with the President, his visit to the safe house, all just played over and over in his mind and before he knew it, he was watching the sun rise.


	14. The Tsar

Chapter 14: The Tsar

The phone call from Yuen came precisely at noon. Yuen ranted wildly about how easily his men had thwarted the assault team. Hammond tried to downplay the US involvement in the plot saying that it was planned and executed by the South Koreans and that his people had played no role in it. He wanted Yuen to believe that he was willing to negotiate; he wanted to buy some time, but he wasn't sure why. The president was refusing any rescue attempt or negotiations, so why prolong this agony. Wouldn't it be better to just let Yuen kill Tony and get it over with for everyone? Based on his appearance on the video, Tony had already been badly beaten. The CTU doctors who watched the video said that his shallow breathing indicated that he had broken ribs that may or may not have punctured a lung. He was obviously favoring his left side, so they assumed it was on that side. He could easily have internal injuries as well. He was also supporting his left arm and they suspected that it was broken, too. He was in real pain and probably dehydrated and starving as well. Brad sadly thought that a quick death might just be the most merciful thing at this point.

Yuen repeated his demand to have his sons released from prison and returned to him. He also needed safe transport out of South Korea to Indonesia. "You have 72 hours to arrange this, Mr. Hammond." He said dispassionately.

"Before I do anything, Mr. Yuen, I need to know that Almeida is alive. Put him on the phone."

"You'll just have to trust me on that, Mr. Hammond."

"Not a chance. Either I talk to Almeida or we end the conversation now and you have no chance of ever seeing your sons again. I will make sure they are put in solitary confinement until they are old men."

Hammond had Yuen over a barrel. "Hold on, he's not near by." Brad listened while Yuen opened a door and walked a distance. His footsteps echoed over the phone and it sounded as if he was walking down stairs or through an empty hallway. Brad could hear keys jingling and the sound of a heavy lock turning. The door creaked as it opened.

"Mr. Almeida, your boss is on the phone." Yuen said as he held the phone to Tony's ear. "Don't say anything you will regret."

"Brad," Tony said then continued rapidly without waiting for a response. "I'm being held in an old army building. I count about seven hostiles…"

Tony's voice trailed off as the phone was pulled away from him. Brad heard a loud thud and Tony screamed in pain. The first thud and scream were followed by three more as one of Yuen's thugs beat Tony until he curled up in a ball near the corner of the room and gasped for breath.

"Are you satisfied, Mr. Hammond?"

"Mr. Yuen, the US policy is not to negotiate for the lives of our citizens. I am under strict orders from the President of the United States not to negotiate with you, however, you have one of my men and I want him back, regardless of what the President says." Brad was bluffing, he had no way of giving Yuen what he wanted but found himself saying anything necessary to keep Tony alive. He desperately did not want to have to deliver the news of Tony's death to Michelle. He didn't want to have to go to Tony's funeral and watch as some young Marine handed Michelle the carefully folded flag from his casket. "I am willing to work with you, but it's going to take me some time. I'm going to have to find some way to get your sons transferred into my custody without arousing any suspicions. That isn't going to be easy since everyone knows that you want them released. There is no way I can accomplish this in three days."

Baker and DuBose looked on stunned wondering what Hammond was trying to do. Why was he leading Yuen to believe that he would negotiate?

Hammond continued. "Once I get your sons released, getting you out of that compound and out of South Korea is going to be nearly impossible. South Korean agents have you surrounded, Mr. Yuen, you must know that."

"I can arrange to get out of the compound, Mr. Hammond. You just get my sons and arrange transport for them and me to Jakarta, Indonesia. Once that happens, I will tell you where to pick me up. I will have Mr. Almeida with me. I will release him when I see my sons." Yuen paused. "If you can show me significant progress over the next three days, I will give you an extra day. If not, I'll be nice enough to tell you where to pick up Almeida's body. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes," Hammond said quietly. He listened as Yuen hung up his phone.

"Brad, what are you doing?" DuBose asked. "You can't negotiate with him. There is no way you can get his sons out of that prison. You know that they've been put under extra guard. It would take an act of Congress to get them out of prison."

"I know, Jeff." Brad said looking away. "I'm trying to buy some time, hoping someone will think of something." He stood and began to pace. He looked out the window, hands in his pockets. "I keep seeing that little girl, Almeida's daughter." He shook his head. "She looked so sad. This is just wrong, Jeff. She shouldn't have to grow up without a father. There is certainly no love lost between Tony and me, but he's obviously a good father. He loves those kids and he loves his wife. It's so unfair that they're going to lose him. Michelle is about six months pregnant. He's not even going to live to see that baby."

"Brad, I've got people working every angle we can think of. If there is any chance to save Tony, we'll do it. You haven't been home in days. Why don't you go home and get a couple of hours of rest."

"There's no point. I can't relax. I've got to go over to Division for a while. I'll take care of some things there and then I'll be back."

Brad sat at his desk at Division taking care of some of the pile of paperwork that had accumulated over the last few days when Ian Calvert knocked on his partially closed door.

Ian Calvert was second in command at Division. At sixty-seven, he was the only agent who was older than Brad. He should have retired years ago, but like Brad, he had little in his life outside of the CIA. He, too, had forfeited everything for his job but had long ago made peace with himself and no longer regretted all that he had given up. Several years ago he decided that he would work until he was forced to retire when he turned seventy. Because of his age, he had little to lose, so he was willing to go up against Brad whenever he disagreed with him, which was often. Brad had come to despise Ian, but he wasn't sure why. Ian was a very capable agent and when he opposed Brad he always had a sound reason. Brad looked at Ian and saw not only a frequent adversary, but a mirror image of himself. Ian had nothing, no one to go home to, no one to love. The part Brad couldn't understand was that Ian seemed to be okay with that. He had a small circle of friends and a quiet social life. He occasionally dated an attractive divorcee that he had met through mutual friends. On Christmas and Thanksgiving, instead of sitting at home alone, Ian worked at a soup kitchen or visited people in hospitals. He often spent part of the holiday in the home of one of his friends. He was never lonely. Brad knew he had no right to resent Ian, but he did.

"Bradford," Ian said. "Do you have a minute?" Calvert was the only person in the world who called him "Bradford" and Hammond hated it. It grated on his nerves like nails on a chalk board and at the moment it was enough to send him over the edge.

"I'm way behind, Ian. Is this important?"

Ian stepped into the office followed by a white haired man. The man looked familiar to Brad, but he couldn't recall where he had seen him before. "I thought you might like to meet someone, Bradford." He paused for a moment. Ian was never in a hurry. He spoke slowly and tended to make his points slowly. It was just another thing that irritated Brad. "Back when you were stationed in the Soviet Union, do you remember a covert agent that was code named 'The Tsar'?"

"Of course," Hammond said irritably. "The Tsar was a legend. He got more important secrets out of the Soviets than all other covert operatives put together. We picked up at least a half-dozen double agents because of the Tsar, not to mention finding out the locations of missile silos, and strategic military installations."

"I thought you might like to meet him." Ian stepped back as the white haired man stepped toward Brad. "Bradford Hammond, this is The Tsar."

"It's an honor to meet you, Sir." Brad said stepping out from behind his desk and extending his hand. He wasn't easily impressed, but at the moment he was awed by the man standing before him. "Ian, I had no idea that you two knew each other." He suddenly had a little more respect for Calvert.

"We go back more years than I care to count, Mr. Hammond." The Tsar told him as they shook hands.

Hammond looked closely at the older man. He still looked familiar although Brad knew that they had never met before. He was probably in his mid-seventies, but could have been older. His hair was cut short, but Brad got the sense that if it were a little longer, it might be curly. He was thin and pale and Brad suspected that he was ill. In contrast to his pale skin he had tiny red veins visible on his face and bulbous nose, unmistakable signs of long term alcohol abuse. Brad wondered if that was why The Tsar had seemed to disappear without notice from the Soviet Union in the early 1980s.

"Mr. Hammond, I have to be honest with you. I'm pleased to meet you, but I am here for another reason."

"You are?" Brad seemed surprised. "What would that be, Sir."

"I'm an old man, Mr. Hammond and, as you may have guessed, I'm not well. I gave everything for my country, like Ian did, like you did. In return, they turned their back on me when I developed a drinking problem. Instead of getting me help, they fired me. It's tough to get a job when your only experience is as a spy. Anyway, that is water under the bridge at this point. I'm here to ask for a favor, Mr. Hammond. You see, my son-in-law is in some trouble and I would like the CIA to help him."

"What kind of trouble are we talking about?" Brad asked. At this point he was completely confused and wondered if the old man was senile.

"He's been kidnapped and someone needs to rescue him."

"Bradford," Ian broke in, "maybe it would help if I told you The Tsar's real name. I'd like to introduce you to Evan Dessler."

"Dessler," Brad said looking back and forth between the two men as realization set in, "as in Michelle Dessler?"

Evan Dessler nodded. "Michelle is my daughter." Hammond now realized why the man looked to familiar. The heart shaped face, the curve of his mouth; they were identical to Michelle's. Their eyes were different but otherwise the resemblance was strong.

"Michelle never said her father was an agent." Hammond said unable to hide his surprise. "So she put you up to this. She sent you here to ask me to save Tony."

"Shelley didn't send me here. I doubt that she even knows that I was an agent. Sadly, I haven't spoken with Shelley since she was twelve years old. For all she knows or probably cares, I'm dead by now." Evan sighed and looked away. He seemed to be looking at some far off place that wasn't visible to those around him. It was only visible in his mind and it hurt to go there. "I left my family when Shelley was a child. It wasn't that I didn't love them, Mr. Hammond. I loved them more than you could imagine. But my job, the double life I was forced to lead, wasn't conducive to being a good father. I hoped that by leaving my wife that she would move on and find another husband. I knew if she remarried that she would choose someone that would be a good father to my children. They were good children; they deserved to have a good father. That didn't happen. She died just a few years later."

Brad smiled softly. "You call her 'Shelley'. I called her 'Chelle' one day and she told me very firmly that she preferred to be called Michelle. I always wondered why that bothered her."

"That was my name for her. She never let anyone else call her that, even as a child." Evan looked wistfully away.

"If you don't mind my asking, why didn't go back to your children after their mother died?" Brad asked.

"I was a worthless drunk at that point in my life. I couldn't have been of any help to them. It would have been like a drowning man reaching out to save another swimmer. I've kept close tabs on them, though. I'm a spy by nature, so it wasn't hard. They don't know it, but I've been there for all of the important dates in their lives; their college graduations and weddings. I sat in a corner of the choir loft when Shelley was married. There's a park near her house where she takes her children. I often sit on a bench reading a newspaper and watch her. She's a good mother." He shook his head and then continued. "My daughter has had a lot of sadness in her life, Mr. Hammond. She finally found real happiness with Tony Almeida. Even then, she had to spend almost two years without him when you charged him with treason."

"Why didn't you come to us for help then? Why are you so concerned now?"

"I was still drinking then, a whiskey soaked old sot! I couldn't come to you at that time. You would have taken one look at me and told security to throw me back out onto the street that I crawled off of. I'm clean now, Mr. Hammond. I have been for five years. Unfortunately it was too late; the alcohol took its toll. If I live six more months I'll be lucky. I was hoping to die knowing that both of my children were happy. After a lot of problems, my son has finally gotten his life together. I didn't think I had to worry about Shelley, but things have changed. I'd happily give my life to save my son-in-law's. There are ways this can be done if you'll just give it a chance."

"So what are you proposing, Mr. Dessler?"

"At the moment I don't have enough information to propose anything. I've planned a lot of covert operations with a lot less sophisticated technology than you have here today. I'm interested in looking at any information you've got and helping you plan a surgical strike and extraction of my son-in-law." He could see that Hammond wasn't buying it. "It can't hurt to have me look at it and put in my two cents worth. If you don't agree with my assessment, I'll accept that."

"This is classified information, Mr. Dessler. I could lose my job for this."

"And my daughter will lose her husband if no one tries to rescue him."

Ian spoke up. "Bradford, I'm willing to take the risk. I'll make sure you are kept out of it. I'll provide Evan with the information and the resources. I'm willing to take the fall when the President finds out. I'll protect you. You have my word on it. No one else has to know that this conversation ever took place. I know some former agents, friends of Almeida's that would be willing to help so no current agent is put at risk."

"Why are you willing to do this, Ian? You barely know Almeida."

"Evan put his life on the line for me more than once in Eastern Europe in the 70s. I owe him. The worst that can happen to me is that they'll fire me. I'll be retiring in three years anyway. They won't be able to take my pension away. I'll have a doctor who is willing to swear that I'm in the early stages of dementia and that my behavior was as a result of that."

"Why are you asking my permission, Ian? You seem to have already thought through this. If you're so willing to take the fall, why didn't you just do it?"

Ian smiled. "I know you too well, Bradford. I would never be able to pull this off without you figuring out what was going on. I need you to turn a blind eye to it. When there is an inquiry you'll be able to say that it all took place behind your back and that you were so busy working with DuBose at CTU and keeping the President informed that you didn't realize what I was doing. The inquiry board won't question it. They don't know you well enough to doubt that excuse.

Brad turned and walked a few steps away from them and looked out of the window. He was silent for a few moments. "This goes against the oath we took to this country, Ian. Can you live with that?"

"Breaking that oath I can live with. It's sitting idly by and knowing that I did nothing while Yuen kills Almeida that what I can't live with."

Brad continued to stare out of the window. "The director in me wants to say 'no' and call you a traitor, Ian" He looked at Evan. "Have you ever seen your granddaughter close up, Mr. Dessler?"

"No, only at a distance." Evan said smiling slightly.

"She's beautiful. She's charming. She just about ripped my heart out of my chest when she asked me to keep looking for her daddy. I can't stop thinking about her." He drew a deep breath then closed his eyes and slowly released the breath. His back remained turned. "Do it. I don't want to know anything about it."

"Thank you, Mr. Hammond." Evan said quietly. Ian was silent as the two moved toward the door.

"Good luck, gentlemen." Brad said sincerely as he turned to face them.


	15. Strategic Planning

_Wow! I got a bunch of reviews on the last chapter and I really appreciate it. Thanks to everyone who reviewed, but special thanks to those who reviewed for the first time. Also, thanks to Judith who went back and read Escape to Argentina and reviewed that. (I haven't had a review on that in months!)_

_Now on with the story..._

Chapter 15: Strategic Planning

Jack and Chase sat in the conference room at CTU pouring over the data that Adam had provided them. They knew that the really important information was classified and they weren't being allowed to see any of it. Instead they had to satisfy themselves with the less important leavings.

Chase pushed his chair back and sighed in exhaustion and frustration. They both knew that CTU really had little chance to get Tony back unless they were willing to negotiate or send in an assault team and they were willing to do neither. "I need more coffee. How about you?" Chase asked.

Jack shook his head. "I've had enough caffeine for one day."

"I'll be right back." Chase told him. He heard Jack's phone ring as he walked from the room.

Jack reached for his phone and glanced at the caller ID expecting the call to be from Kate. Instead the called ID read "private number."

"Jack Bauer," Jack said as he answered.

"Jack, are you alone?"

Jack recognized the voice but couldn't place it. "Yes. Who's asking?" He answered.

"It's Ian Calvert."

"Ian, how are you? I haven't heard from you in years."

"I need to meet with you Jack and you can't tell anyone that you've talked to me."

"What's this about, Ian?"

"I can't tell you over the phone. There's a diner about two blocks south of CTU. Do you know where it is?"

"Sure, on Spring Street."

"That's the one. I need you to meet me there in 15 minutes. You can bring Chase with you, but no one else can know about this. I've never given you any reason to doubt me, Jack. Will you do it?"

"I wish you'd give me more information, Ian, but Chase and I will be there."

"See you there." Ian answered and then hung up.

Chase came back into the conference room as Jack hung up. "Was that Kate?" He asked.

"No, come with me. I'll explain when we get outside."

Chase looked confused but followed Jack out of the conference room. They told Jeff DuBose that they were going out to get some lunch. Jeff told them to take their time. The mood at CTU had changed. Everyone was keeping busy, but the urgency was gone. Most had all but accepted that they could do nothing more for Tony and were simply cleaning up and waiting for the inevitable. Jack found that attitude particularly troubling.

Jack told Chase about the phone call as they walked south out of the CTU building. They quickly found the diner and walked in to find Ian seated alone at a table near the back wall. Jack hadn't seen Ian in several years and was surprised that he really didn't look any older.

Ian stood and shook hands with both men. He knew Jack well but had only met Chase a couple of times. Jack didn't mince words. "What's this about, Ian?"

A middle-aged waitress in a pink and white uniform reminiscent of the 1950s brought three glasses of water and silverware wrapped in napkins to the table. The threesome ordered sandwiches and drinks and waited until the waitress was gone.

"I'm going to assume that you both know that CTU has all but given up on rescuing Almeida. Am I right?"

Chase and Jack both remained silent and nodded bleakly.

"I'm working with someone who is interested in going outside of CTU to rescue him. The problem is that I can't ask any current agents to help me without asking them to risk their jobs. I'm hoping that you two will work with me to find a group of former agents that are interested in going in with us."

"Who are you working with?" Jack asked.

"That's a long story, Jack. I'll explain later, but right now I need to know whether you are willing to go in with us or not. As I told you before, I've never given you a reason to doubt me. I've always been straight with you. Tony doesn't have a chance if we leave this in the hands of CTU. We're his only hope."

"Ian, I don't remember that you knew Tony all that well. Why do you want to get involved with this? You could lose your job." Jack said squinting as if trying to focus, trying to understand.

"I'm doing it as a favor for someone who I owe. Again, Jack, I'll explain later. I just need to know if you are in or out. If you're not on board with me, I'm wasting precious time here."

"Are you talking about some kind of rescue mission with an extraction?" Chase asked.

"Exactly," Ian told him. "If you can get about six to eight men for the extraction and a couple of analysts I can get you the resources."

"We can't get access to anything but non-classified information, Ian. How can we possibly pull off an extraction?" Chase asked clearly doubting their ability to rescue Tony.

"I've got access to all of the classified information, the satellite recognizance, whatever you need. I can get military transport and all the equipment you need."

"How?" Jack asked.

"Don't ask, Jack. Just know that I can do it."

"Does Hammond know anything about this?" Chase asked.

"Do you think I'd be here if he did? He'd charge me with treason if he had any idea I was doing this." Ian lied convincingly. "Hammond is so caught up in answering to the President that he doesn't have time to notice what I'm doing. I told him that I was going home sick. He didn't question me." Jack and Chase appeared to be buying Ian's story.

"Tell me about this plan, Ian." Jack said.

"The person I'm working with is in the early stages of developing the plan, but he needs help. You two have done plenty of this type of work. Are you in? Can you get a team together? We don't have a lot of time."

Chase and Jack looked at each other. "It's hard to agree to something this vague, Ian, but I also can't sit around any longer and wait for Tony's body to surface. I'm in." Jack told him.

"Me, too." Chase answered solemnly.

"Good," Ian answered with some satisfaction. "Here's my address." Ian handed them a business card with his address hand written neatly on the back. "I need you to get together an extraction team and some analysts. Have everyone meet at my house at six o'clock." He looked at his watch. "That gives us about three hours. I'll see you then."

Ian wiped his mouth with a paper napkin then crumpled it into a loose ball and dropped it onto his empty plate. He stood and pulled out his wallet and left enough money on the table to cover the bill and a sizable tip. He turned quietly and walked out of the diner leaving Jack and Chase to finish their meals and begin developing a list of former agents that might be willing to help them.

Chase took out a pen and reached for a clean napkin. "The analysts are the easy part." He said as he jotted down two names. "I'll call Kim, she'll want to help."

Jack nodded. Kim didn't have as much experience as some other analysts he could think of but she was good.

"She can get Kate to watch the kids." Chase suggested.

"No," Jack stopped him. "Tell her not to call Kate. She doesn't need to know about this."

"Jack, you can't keep this from Kate. She needs to know."

"I'll tell her when we know exactly what we're going to do. Until then I don't want her to sit around worrying."

"Okay," Chase sighed. "I'm sure my sister will watch the kids."

"What other analyst do you have in mind?" Jack asked him.

"Frank Healy. He still works for Tony; I'm sure he'll want to help."

"Good choice. What field agents are we going to call?"

The two started naming former agents and adding those who they both found acceptable to the list. When they had several names, they each pulled out their phone and started calling. It took a few minutes to track some of them down, but most were easily located and helped direct Jack and Chase toward the others. For the most part they were happy to help. Most felt as Jack and Chase did, that they were sitting around waiting to hear that Tony had been killed. They all found that unnerving.

Jack and Chase stopped back at CTU and talked to DuBose. They told him that they were both exhausted and going home for some sleep. They also told him that neither of them felt as though they were being of help and would not return. DuBose was a little surprised by their sudden willingness to give up. Both had often been described as 'dogs with a bone,' they never gave up until the mission was complete. But by the same token, everyone was tired and knew that it was unlikely that they would get Tony back alive so he understood their frustration. Going home to their families was probably the best thing for them right now.

The group met as planned at Ian's suburban Los Angeles house at six o'clock. Kim met Frank Healy at Tony's office. They would work there which gave them access to the sophisticated computer equipment Tony used in his business. They would be in constant contact with the others via webcam. In addition to Frank and Kim, Tony's business partner Juan Rodriguez would be working with them.

Juan was a former Argentine government field agent with an attitude similar to Jack's. He, like Jack, had eventually run afoul of the Argentine government and resigned before they could fire him. He and Jack had worked together when Juan was still working for the government. It was Juan that Jack turned to when he needed to get Tony out of the US. Juan provided a safe haven and a job for Tony in Argentina where there was no extradition treaty with the US.

Juan had been in contact with the LA office as soon as he heard that Tony had been kidnapped. He decided to come to LA and see if he could be of any help. Someone needed to run the office, he thought. He obviously had a financial interest in what happened to Tony, but he and Tony had become close friends and, although it made little sense, it made him feel better to be in the LA office. Now Juan was helping Frank and Kim as an analyst but told Jack that if there was an overseas mission, he wanted to be among the field agents.

Once everyone arrived at Ian's house, he introduced Evan Dessler. Everyone who knew Michelle was surprised to meet her father. No one could ever remember her speaking of her father. A brief explanation of their estrangement with little in the way of details was offered with Evan accepting all of the blame. No one asked any questions. It wasn't their business and it wasn't why they were there.

Ian began by providing the satellite recognizance photos and all of the classified information that he had down loaded. They separated into groups to study the data. The house became quiet as they reviewed the data. Occasionally a group would discuss something in low tones and they would scratch notes on yellow legal pads.

It was Chase that interrupted the quiet when he addressed the group at Tony's office via the webcam. "Can you guys pull up the satellite photos? There is something here that doesn't add up and you have better resolution there than we have here."

"What do you see, Chase?" Frank asked.

Chase directed him to several specific photos. "If you look at the infrared recognizance photos that the South Koreans used for their assault, they show a total of 12 people in the compound. That is the two sentries on the roof, one person we presume is Tony, one is Yuen and eight others. We know that the sentries were killed, so now there should be ten people in the compound. Simple math, right?"

Chase had everyone's attention now and they all agreed. Chase continued, "Well look at the satellite photos. They show us the people milling around outside the building and in one photo I can count fourteen. Where did the extra people come from? We know that all of the assault team was killed. The Koreans confirmed that they had recovered all of the bodies. We can also pretty much assume that Tony is not walking around outside. That means there are at least fifteen people in that compound. That doesn't make sense. The satellites show that no vehicles have come into the compound. The South Koreans have the place surrounded. Somebody explain this to me."

"Chase is right." Healey said. "I can go over the satellite photos again, but as far as I can see, no one has entered the compound."

"So where did the extra people come from?" Ian asked.

"There must to be an underground entrance to the compound." Jack stated matter of factly. "Frank, enlarge the radius on the satellite shots so you're looking at a larger area. Look for unusual activity like vehicle movement."

"Will do, Jack, but I have to tell you, that's like looking for a needle in a haystack. The area is pretty heavily wooded; I'm not sure what we are going to be able to see."

"Strategically an underground tunnel would help us a lot." Jack told him. "If we could find an entrance, we could mount a two pronged assault. We could send one team in through the tunnel and parachute in another team.

Frank, Kim and Juan started searching satellite photos for unusual movement while the team at the house started to plan for a possible two pronged attack. It was nearly ninety minutes before Kim said "We may have something here. Frank's going to try and improve the resolution, but I'll send what I've got to your screens now so you can see it. Let me know when you've got it."

It was a couple of minutes before they could open the file and look at what Kim had sent. "Look at the first three frames." She directed them. "There appears to be some kind of movement, possibly a car, in the upper right hand corner. Now look at the middle of the next five frames. This was taken several hours later, but shows the same coordinates. The perspective is slightly different because of the position of the satellite, but it's the same spot. Those frames show movement. Again, it could be anything, but a car is a strong possibility. Frank is trying to improve the resolution a little more." She paused while they looked over the photos. "This next series of frames is really impressive because they were taken at night. Look at the bottom left hand corner, again, these are the same coordinates as before. You can see what could well be a vehicle with headlights on in the very same spot. We've looked at South Korean maps and can't identify any road that goes through that area. It's not any kind of campground or an area that would attract hikers. Maybe we can get the South Koreans to check it out for us."

"We can't do that." Ian stated. "If we call them in, they are going to know that something is up. Hammond has already told them that we aren't mounting any kind of offensive. If we get them to check up on this, it's going to be obvious that we're up to something and they'll want to talk to CTU about it. We have to keep CTU and Hammond out of this."

"Ian's right." Jack told the group. "Get us as much evidence as you can that there is underground access to the compound from that site." He said to the group at Tony's office. "We need to keep planning this operation under the assumption that we've got underground access at those coordinates. Is everybody with me?"

Everyone agreed and the planning continued. They separated into groups again and continued planning. Some concentrated on the assault while others developed a list of equipment they needed and the rest developed a plan for transportation. It was nearly 2am when the plan was complete. It had come together with stunning speed. Ian had arranged military transport to South Korea on a plane that was leaving at noon the next day. If all went as planned, they would be in South Korea in just about 28 hours, or with the time difference, about 4pm in Korea. Their plan had them in place for the assault around midnight. Even if they were delayed by weather or other unforeseen circumstances, they still had plenty of time left in the 72 hour window that Yuen had given Hammond.

The group said their goodbyes knowing that they would be together again within the next few hours. For now they would go home and try to catch some precious sleep. Most knew that they couldn't possibly sleep; the adrenaline rush was simply too great. They all knew the risks and accepted them willingly. They had a common goal; to rescue someone that they all knew would do the same for them.

Thousands of miles away Tony curled up against one corner of the cell that had become his home over the last few days. He shivered against the chill of the room but found that he was at least somewhat comfortable if he sat with his knees drawn up and leaned against a corner. The position allowed him to preserve his own body heat and provided support for his ribs. That brought some relief from the pain he felt as he breathed. His hand rested limply in his lap. It was swollen from just above the wrist and he couldn't move it without pain. Even in the dim light that occasionally came in from underneath the door he could see how bruised it was. The second beating hadn't been as severe as the first. It had left him aching and stiff, but he didn't think he had any new injuries. He knew that he must be a sight. He had never had a chance to wash and he still had blood caked on his face and his clothes.

His captors had given him some food and water again and he ate and drank knowing that he should but at this point he was sure that it was fruitless. Tony was a realist. He knew that there was no way out and that no one else was coming. He knew that Michelle was in LA well aware of those same things and the anguish that she must be feeling hurt him more than knowing he was going to die. He wished they would kill him now and get it over with. Not so much for his sake, but for Michelle's. She needed to put this ordeal behind her and move on to burying him and getting used to her new life. He knew how strong she was and that his family would help her. He was sure that she would be okay. The kids would adjust because that is what children do, he thought pragmatically. Despite his mental attempt to try and distance himself from her, he longed to hold her. He wanted to feel the warmth of her body, to rest his hand on her belly so he could feel his child move inside of her. He wanted to bury his face in her hair and inhale her rich scent. It was torture to think of her, to love her so much and not be able to touch her. He prayed silently for a quick end to this pain. Death would be so much easier.


	16. Sad Goodbyes

Chapter 16: Sad Goodbyes

Michelle turned restlessly in her bed at the safe house as she fought to wake herself from a nightmare. She was dreaming that she was in labor and that she couldn't find Tony to tell him. It seemed like an eternity before she woke with a start. Sophie was sitting on the bed next to her; her little hand resting on her mother's shoulder. Michelle's heart was pounding and she was breathing rapidly as she tried to catch her breath.

"Mommy, were you having a bad dream?" Sophie asked her.

Michelle sat up in the dark room as her breathing slowed. She wiped beads of sweat from her forehead and looked at the clock. Two fifty-two a.m. "Yeah, I guess I was." Michelle answered. She pulled Sophie into her arms and kissed the top of her head. She had tucked Sophie into a bed in the next room at 8:30 and didn't remember the child climbing into bed with her. "When did you get in bed with me?"

"I don't know, a little while ago. I woke up and I was scared so I came in here with you."

"Why were you scared?" Michelle asked her.

Sophie shrugged. "I don't know. I guess 'cause Daddy's not here and I want him to come home."

"Me, too Baby" Michelle told her. She hugged Sophie who had her white bear tucked firmly under her arm. "Let's try and go back to sleep."

The two lay down and closed their eyes. Sophie snuggled close to her mother. For Michelle, having her daughter lying beside her, so dependent on her, made her realize just how alone she was right now and how much responsibility fell on her shoulders. Slowly she was beginning to admit to herself that she would probably never see Tony again. She soon would have to face the reality of raising their children alone. She stroked her belly as she thought about spending hours in labor without having Tony to make her smile and encourage her. Her mother-in-law and sister-in-law, Vanessa would be there for her as they were when Sophie was born, but it wasn't the same. She suddenly felt very guilty about spending the first months of the pregnancy not wanting the baby and wondered briefly if Tony's kidnapping was her punishment for not wanting his child. She tried to tell herself that God didn't work that way, but the thought was unsettling just the same.

The house was quiet. Sophie had drifted off to sleep and Michelle listened to the soft sound of her breathing. She had been awake for fifteen minutes now and knew there was little hope of her going back to sleep. Why does night have to be so long? She wondered. She considered getting up to check on the boys who were asleep in the room down the hall, but didn't want to disturb Sophie by getting out of bed. So she laid back trying to forget the nightmare she just had and the one that she was living.

As she lay still, she was surprised to feel some cramping start low in her pelvis. The cramping increased in intensity and spread upward. Michelle found herself clutching her pillow as she rolled on her side, away from Sophie, to try and relieve the pain. She groaned, unable to control the sound coming from deep in her throat. The groan was enough to wake Sophie who sat up and reached for her mother.

"Mommy, what's wrong? Does something hurt? Why did you make that noise?"

Slowly the pain abated and Michelle took in some deep breaths. She had been in labor enough times to know that this was not a false contraction. It was the kind you have shortly before delivery. Panic started to spread through her as she realized that the nightmare she was having earlier was based in reality: she was in labor. At barely six months into the pregnancy, it was way too early to have the baby.

"I had some pain in my stomach, Honey." Michelle said trying to sound in control. "It's gone now, but I think I'm going to get out of bed for a while. You go back to sleep." As she sat up, Michelle felt a warm rush of fluid that covered her thighs. She recognized the sensation of her water breaking and amniotic fluid flowing out. She took a deep breath and tried to think.

"Sophie, I need you to do me a favor. Run downstairs and tell one of the agents that I need to see them right away. Then go and wake Grandma and ask her to come upstairs, too. Can you do that?"

"What's wrong, Mommy? Why do you need Grandma?" Sophie's eyes filled with tears as she clutched her bear ever closer. "Mommy, I'm scared." She said as she started to cry.

"Sweetie, I'm okay, but I think that baby may be coming. You don't have to be scared, but I need you to go get one of the agents and Grandma." Sophie nodded, jumped from the bed and took off running down the steps.

It was less than a minute when Michelle heard an agent running up the steps. "Mrs. Almeida," the young woman said. "Sophie said you needed someone."

"Yeah," Michelle said no longer quite as calm as she had been with Sophie. "I need you to get me to the hospital. My water just broke and I'm having contractions."

The young agent who had obviously never had a baby looked clueless.

"I'm in labor." Michelle explained succinctly.

The agent paled not sure what to say or do. "Should I call an ambulance?" She finally asked.

"I don't think that's necessary." Michelle told her. "But I think you need to get me to a hospital as quickly as possible."

The agent went downstairs to get a car ready and to notify CTU of what was going on. They would have to send agents to protect Michelle at the hospital.

By now Tony's mother had entered the room and rushed to Michelle's side. "Honey, what's going on? Sophie said you're going to have the baby."

Michelle nodded. She bit her bottom lip to stop it from quivering. "I'm having strong contractions. Can you help me clean up and get dressed? A CTU agent can take me to the hospital."

Tears began to trickle down Michelle's face as her mother-in-law helped her out of bed and into the bathroom. "This is all my fault. I didn't want this baby at first and now look at what's happening. Tony's been kidnapped and the baby's going to be born prematurely. This is all my fault." Her mother-in-law hugged her briefly aware that Michelle needed reassurance but at the same time not wanting to waste precious time.

"Michelle, none of this is your fault. Try to pull yourself together so we can get you to the hospital. Maybe if you get there quickly, the doctor can stop the labor. I'm sure they have medicines now that will do that." Maria Almeida wished that she felt as confident as she sounded.

Michelle dressed quickly having to stop twice for contractions. She left the bedroom and headed for the stairs. Just then Sophie came running out of her own room dressed in a pair of blue jeans, a sweat shirt and sneakers, her bear held tightly in her arm.

"Mommy!" she said as she saw Michelle. "I'm going to the hospital with you." She announced. She grabbed Michelle's hand and pulled her toward the stairs.

"Oh, Honey, I don't think so. I think it would be best if you stayed here with Grandma and Grandpa. Maybe you can come to the hospital and see me in the morning."

"But I want to come with you." She said as she started to cry again. "I don't want to be away from you. Are you sure you're coming back?"

"Sophie, I don't know when I'll be home, but you can talk to me on the phone and you can come and see me." She hugged and kissed her daughter. "I love you, Sweetheart. I'll call you as soon as I can." She wiped tears from Sophie's face.

Maria Almeida took her granddaughter's hand as Michelle walked toward the door. Sophie broke loose and ran to Michelle. "Mommy," she called as Michelle stepped out onto the porch. She was holding her bear out in front of her. Michelle turned and Sophie thrust the bear into her arms. "Here. Take Argentina with you. I don't want you to be alone. He's really good at making people feel better."

Tears filled Michelle's eyes. "Thank you, Sweetie, but why don't you keep Argentina in case you feel a little lonely. I'll be okay, Sophie. I promise." She tuned and walked to the car before Sophie could see her cry.

It was around the same time that Jack arrived home. Kate and the boys were all sleeping. He found the quiet in the house refreshing after all of the commotion of the last few days. Jack stepped into the shower and stood there for a few minutes just enjoying the feel of the warm water cascading down his body. He finished washing and toweled off quickly. He walked naked into the bedroom and slipped into bed next to Kate. Kate stirred as he kissed her cheek gently.

"Hey," she said sleepily. "I didn't expect you home tonight."

"I needed a warm body to sleep next to and I didn't think Chase would fill the bill." He teased her sweetly as he kissed her forehead.

"Any word on Tony?" She asked.

"None," Jack told her.

Kate sighed sadly and snuggled close to Jack clearly planning to go back to sleep. Jack had no intention of letting her do so. He was leaving for Korea in less than twelve hours and he knew there was a chance that he wouldn't come back. Before he left he was going to make sure that his wife knew just how much he loved her. He was going to leave her with the best possible memory of him. He nuzzled her neck and kissed it. His mouth traveled down to her collar bone and he left a trail of kisses along it. Kate responded by putting her arms around him and pulling him closer. Jack moaned quietly and they found each others mouth. Kate opened her mouth as Jack planted his lips firmly on top of hers. His tongue moved insistently into her mouth and she groaned. He could feel her sucking on his tongue and he found himself instantly excited. He let his hands travel slowly down her body.

They continued to kiss and Jack pinned Kate on her back and began to undress her. As he did, he kissed her bare skin. He turned her over and massaged her back as he kissed it and explored it with his tongue. He knew every inch of her body but moved slowly across it as if looking for some tiny spot he had never touched or kissed before. Kate moaned quietly encouraging Jack to continue. She could feel how aroused he was and although he was pinning her down, she was able to raise her hips and press the back of her thigh against him making him groan louder than he intended. He turned her over again and kissed her hard as he climbed on top of her. He eased himself inside of her and let his weight rest on her. They quickly developed an intense rhythm which soon sent them both over the edge. They gasped as they tried to catch their breath, both trying to be as quiet as possible well aware that their sons were asleep down the hall. Neither spoke a word as they kissed tenderly. Jack slid off of Kate and lay on his side next to her. He stroked her body and gently fondled her breasts. Her eyes were closed; she was clearly enjoying the attention he was giving her. She fell asleep against him as he continued to pet and caress her.

Kate woke a couple of hours later to find herself alone in bed. For a second she thought she might have dreamed that she and Jack were making love but the indentation on Jack's pillow convinced her that he had been there; that it was not a dream. Besides that, she had gone to bed in a tee shirt and boxer shorts and now was naked.

Kate got up and put on her robe. She walked down the hall and found Jack sitting in the rocking chair in Ryan's nursery. He was bare-chested but had put on a pair of old jeans. He had pulled the chair close enough to the crib that he could reach through the bars and touch his small son. Kate walked in without Jack noticing her. She put her hand on his shoulder and he looked up, startled at first but then he smiled.

"You're going on a mission, aren't you, Jack?" Kate whispered.

Jack nodded as he looked into her eyes.

"Are you trying to rescue Tony?" She asked.

Again Jack nodded. "I can't sit back and do nothing, Kate. What if it were me? Tony wouldn't just let me die."

"Who else is going?"

"Chase," Jack admitted, "and some other former agents."

"Does Kim know?"

"She helped in the planning. She'll stay here and help feed us satellite information and intelligence when we're on the ground." Jack paused as Kate walked away from him.

He followed her to the kitchen. "It's a sound plan, Kate. It's well thought out and it minimizes the risks."

"Does it eliminate the risks?" Kate asked as she started to cry.

"No," Jack said as he looked at the floor. "There's no way to eliminate the risks, Kate. You know that. Life is a risk. I could be killed driving to the office in the morning."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"I knew you would worry. If I could save you a few hours of worry, it was worth it to me. I love you, Kate, but this is something I have to do. If they kill Tony, I want to know I did everything that I could do. If I don't I'll never be able to look at Michelle or the kids again. Dess is our Godson, Kate. I can't let him down."

Kate nodded. She knew that it was pointless to try and talk Jack out of this. "Does Michelle know?"

"No, we thought it would be better if she didn't know. That way, she won't get her hopes up." Jack considered telling Kate about Evan Dessler but decided that it served no real purpose.

"When do you leave?" She asked.

"Our flight leaves at noon. I have to be at the airbase at 9am."

Kate nodded again not knowing what else to say. Jack smiled at her. "Let's go to bed. We both need some sleep." He reached for her hand and they walked together to their bedroom. They undressed and got under the covers. Kate reached for Jack and kissed him tearfully. They made love again. This time it was quiet and slow and the sun was rising as Kate fell asleep. She awoke to hear Ryan calling her from his crib. Jack was gone having left while she slept.

It was just after 8 o'clock and Michelle was resting in hospital bed. The doctors seemed to have gotten her contractions under control. They had slowed to about two an hour and they hoped with continued medication and bedrest that they could stop them all together. The fact that her water had broken was another concern. Normally, they told her, they liked to deliver a baby within 24 hours of membrane rupture. In this case, however, they wanted to delay delivery as long as possible. If the baby was delivered now, there was little chance for survival. If they could keep that from happening for the next four to six weeks, the baby would still be premature, but would be much more likely to live.

Michelle had nothing to do now but think. She was troubled by all that was going on. Right now her priority should be the baby she was carrying, but she was worried about her other children, especially Sophie who was obviously being affected emotionally by all that was going on. She had called Sophie twice already and tried to reassure her but found the little girl scared and withdrawn. Now Joe, too, was upset by his mother's absence and cried when he talked to her. Michelle wondered at this point if it would be better for her to have the baby, even if survival was impossible. At least then she could go home to her children who needed at least one parent. She immediately chastised herself for even thinking such a thought. Her life had turned upside down in the last few days. She and Tony and the kids had gone from such a happy existence to one filled with fear and anxiety and uncertainty. She wondered if Tony was as scared as she was. She wondered where he was and if he was in any pain. Hammond admitted that on the video he looked as though he had been beaten. Tears ran down her cheeks and she made no attempt to stop them.


	17. Let's Get Going

_Once again I have to thank my reviewers. You guys are AWESOME!! Some of you have reviewed every chapter and I really appreciate it. It's so much easier to write if you know somebody out there is reading and enjoying it. So, thanks again!_

Chapter 17: Let's Get Going

It was just past 2pm California time and the military transport plane carrying Jack and Chase and the other former field agents was high above the Pacific. Ian and Evan were traveling with them as was Juan Rodriguez. Kim and Frank Healey stayed behind to monitor the flow of information.

No one was quite sure how Ian had arranged the flight, but suffice it to say that some General owed him a favor. It had something to do with an exchange of classified information that had allowed the General's Special Forces team to avoid an ambush. Ian had provided the information against CIA regulations. So in return, the General gave several soldiers an extra day of leave time in LA and made room on the flight for Ian and his men. Such a change in plans wasn't common, but it wasn't so unusual that it would raise any eyebrows. Occasionally soldiers would be bumped from flights so that Special Forces or members of other agencies or even higher ranking officers could be allowed aboard. Everyone on the plane and those who were lucky enough to get an extra day of leave guessed that the men who boarded the plane belonged to the CIA. They also assumed that this had something to do with the agent who had been kidnapped, but all knew enough not to mention their presence to anyone.

In addition to the transport, Ian also managed to procure all of the equipment they needed. Jack wondered how many favors Ian had to call in to get all of it and knew the list was huge. He had racked up his share of favors in his years at CTU, but it couldn't hold a candle to this.

They had just reviewed the plan again and had been assigned their positions. The plan was good but as Jack told Kate, it wasn't foolproof. Much of it depended upon their assumption that an underground entrance to the compound existed. Jack, Juan and three other agents would be the "ground crew". They would go to the coordinates that Kim and Frank had established and look for the entrance. Chase and two others were the "jump team". They would be circling in a plane waiting for the ground crew to confirm the existence of the tunnel. Once the ground crew got into the tunnel, the jump team would have to time their jump so that they landed in the compound at the same time the ground crew reached the door to the building. The jump team would be required to perform a technically difficult HALO (high altitude, low opening) jump into order to avoid being seen.

The assault would be made around midnight and hopefully would take Yuen and his men by surprise. The jump team would have to establish the number of hostiles outside of the building and take them out before they could warn anyone in the building. They would then assist the ground crew in neutralizing the hostiles inside. The most difficult part of the whole thing was trying not to "neutralize" Tony in the process. In an operation such as this, you often had to shoot or be shot. So they all knew how easy it was to accidentally shoot a hostage. They had discussed the possibility of using a sedative gas on the building. That would allow them to get in with little resistance. The problem with that was that gases were inaccurate; different parts of the building could have different concentrations of gas. Sometimes those concentrations were lethal. They thought they knew where Tony was being held, but couldn't know for sure. Without knowing exactly were Tony was, they couldn't gas the building without running the risk of killing him.

Jack drank from a bottle of water and looked around him. He put his head back hoping to get some sleep. Military transports were notoriously uncomfortable. I must be getting old, he thought. Twenty years ago none of this would have bothered me. I would have slept like a baby. His last trip on a transport had been on his way to Kosovo. Fourteen years, he thought. Fourteen years ago he was a different person. He was still so impetuous, so gung ho, so ready to lay down his life. That trip had changed his life. He thought he had seen carnage and death before, but Kosovo had been worse than anything he had ever experienced. He had trained all of those men and they had been so brutally murdered. He could still see their mutilated bodies. He could identify all of them. Of course they never found Stephen Saunders' body. He had wondered why at the time, but was almost grateful that they hadn't. It just would have been one more body to identify.

Yes, Kosovo changed his life. If it hadn't been for Kosovo, he would probably still be at CTU. Teri would still be alive and they would have had another child. He wished that Teri could still be alive. After all of these years, he still felt guilty about her death. His life now was incredible though; so much better than it was during what he now termed his "Rambo" years. As much as he loved Teri and Kim, he was a lousy husband and father. He freely admitted it. They both deserved better. In the back of his mind there was a place he rarely let himself wander, but in it he wished he had a chance to make it up to them. He wondered if Teri had lived if their life together would have been any different, if during that day he would have learned any lessons. There was no way to know. Instead, he drifted for almost the next five years after that terrible day. Kate came into his life during that time, but he failed to appreciate her. He dabbled with alcohol and finally became dependent on heroin. Thank God Kate hadn't given up on him. She gave him a second chance. Kate made him whole again. She even gave him two sons. He thought he was too old to become a father again, but Kate wanted a baby more than anything. He couldn't deny her that, not after the way she stuck by him when he went to drug rehab. He remembered crying when he held Mason for the first time. As he looked at Kate lying exhausted but smiling in the hospital bed, he marveled at their tiny creation. He had been too young when Kim was born to really appreciate what a miracle she was, he wouldn't make that mistake with his son. Then Ryan was born three years later. Once again he was amazed at what a miracle they had made.

He smiled as he thought of Kate. Even as he made love to her early this morning, he thought what an unlikely pair they were. Talk about the "uptown girl" and the "downtown man". Billy Joel had gotten it right in that old song. It was as if the song was written for them. She was so refined and well-bred. She had gone to the finest private schools in California and Europe. She had traveled the world and had studied all of the great music and art work and architecture. He was Jack Bauer. Born and raised just south of LA and educated in public schools. He was the son of a longshoreman who drank too much on weekends and disciplined his only son with a leather belt. He had seen the world, too, courtesy of the US Army. He had seen Kuwait, with its oil wells on fire; he had seen army bases across Europe. He had been on covert missions in countries in the Middle East and the Russian Republics.

He took another drink from his water bottle and again looked at the men around him. Everyone was quiet now. Most of them sat with yellow legal pads on their laps writing last letters to their loved ones, just in case. Jack would do the same, but the flight was long and there was plenty of time for that. He had written any number of those letters before to Teri and Kim. They had never needed to read any of them; he had torn them up when the mission was over. He knew exactly what he wanted to say to Kate and Mason and Ryan and Kim. In his mind, he had written the letters hours ago. He had written them as he lay next to Kate, watching her sleep after they made love.

He must have dozed off because when he next looked at his watch it was 6:14pm, California time, of course. By now they were well past Hawaii and headed for South Korea. They would refuel in midair, so there would be no stops. Jack looked around him and saw several of the men milling about the plane. Some were eating the boxed lunches that Ian had gotten from the officers mess hall at the airbase. Realizing that he was hungry, Jack got up to get a lunch as well. He sat back down to examine the contents of the cardboard box: two sandwiches, one roast beef and Swiss on rye and the other ham and turkey with American cheese on wheat, small plastic cups of potato salad and cole slaw and two oatmeal raisin cookies. Not necessarily his favorites, but he wasn't picky and he certainly had eaten worse, so he sat back, box balanced on his lap and began to eat.

"I'll trade a roast beef for the turkey and ham." Jack looked up. Evan Dessler was standing next to him.

"That sounds like a deal." Jack said smiling at him.

"I thought so." Evan said, handing him the sandwich. "I figured you for a 'red meat' kind of guy. Mind if I sit down?" He asked indicating the empty seat next to Jack.

"Not at all." Jack answered. He moved the jacket that he had tossed onto the seat.

The two men ate in an awkward silence. Jack eventually spoke. "You know, Evan, I've known Michelle for ten years, she's my wife's best friend and our sons play together. She occasionally speaks of her mother but I've never heard her mention her father. I guess I always assumed that you were dead."

"From Shelley's perspective I probably am. If I were her, I'd feel that way, too." Evan proceeded to tell Jack about leaving his family. They had lots of time to talk, so he spared no details. "So that's it." He said with some finality. "I thought it was more important for me to be a spy than a husband and father, so I left. Believe me, Jack; I thought I was doing what was best for them."

Jack shrugged his shoulders and looked at Evan's sad eyes. He had stopped judging people long ago. "At least you made a choice, Evan. I thought I could have it all; CTU, a wife, a family. I thought I could build a wall that kept my job and my family separate, but it didn't work. My wife was murdered because of my job and my daughter was kidnapped and barely escaped alive."

Neither said anything else, there was nothing more to say. They sat back in uncomfortable seats and listened to the roar of the engines and the quiet chatter of the men scattered about the plane. It struck Jack how much he and Evan were alike. They both lost their families to their job and relied heavily on substances to find some peace. For Evan it was alcohol, for Jack, heroin; the substance didn't matter. Both dulled the pain. Jack knew he was luckier than Evan. No, he would never get Teri back, but he did get Kim. He broke his addiction to heroin and Kate gave him a new family to love and to live for.

The flight seemed endless and everyone was happy to feel the plane begin to descend and to see the runway ahead of them. They waited while the plane landed and taxied to its hanger. They continued to wait while the soldiers who had been on the plane with them disembarked. It was finally their turn to gather up their equipment and get it packed up in trucks that waited in the corner of the hanger. After that they would be taken to an officer's barracks to shower and eat and change into camouflage for the mission ahead of them.

At just a few minutes to midnight and the eight man team was in position for the assault. Jack, Juan and the rest of the "ground crew" had just arrived at the site where they hoped to find the underground access to the old army headquarters. Chase and the "jump team" were in an airplane circling high above the area. The "ground crew" moved quietly through the wooded area.

Jack checked his handheld GPS. "We should be within a few feet of the entrance. Start looking for an opening." The group searched in silence for several minutes before the hidden entrance was found. The cellar door was well hidden under brush. The men smiled to see that it was secured with a chain and a cheap padlock. Jack pulled out a set of picks and quickly picked the lock while another team member radioed the "jump team."

"Falcon, this is Prairie Dog. Come in Falcon."

"This is Falcon." They heard Chase's voice through their earpieces.

The lock on the tunnel entrance popped open easily. "Falcon, we found the tube and gained entry. Stand by."

Two of the "ground crew" stood to the side of the doors and each grabbed a handle. Jack counted to three and the doors were flung open, the other team members standing ready to shoot any hostiles that might come out of the tunnel. The entrance to the tunnel was empty. Jack shined a light into the hole and began to descend into the darkness. He was quickly followed by the rest of the team. Everyone was tense, but calmed quickly as they verified that the tunnel was empty.

Again they radioed the "jump team". "Falcon, we're in. I repeat, we're in. Proceed as planned. Have a nice jump."

"We copy, Prairie Dog. Thank you and good luck." With that the pilot maneuvered the plane into position for the jump and the team readied themselves. All of them had performed this type of jump before on a number of occasions, but none had done it recently. They all reviewed the procedure and hoped that once in the air their instincts would take over.

"Gentlemen," the pilot said to the team. "We will reach the jump site in 30 seconds. Please stand by."

Each of them looked at his watch and adjusted equipment for the tenth time. "Twenty seconds" the pilot told them. "Ten, nine, eight, seven," the pilot counted down, "six, five, four, three, two, one. Godspeed, gentlemen. See you back at the base." The jump door was thrown open and the three men jumped into the darkness as the pilot flew due west to return to his base.

Jack was the first to reach the door to the old army compound. This one was far more secure than the simple cellar doors used to cover the entrance to the tunnel. They would have to blow this one open. Dave Appleton stepped forward and with Jack's help pressed a putty-like explosive material along the hinges and lock. He added a short fuse and pulled a lighter from his pocket. The others stood back as Dave lit the fuse and stepped away. In just a few seconds, a bang reverberated through the tunnel. He had used a minimum of explosives to keep the noise down, but it was enough to do the job. They were able to pull the heavy door away and step into a dark room. A quick search with the flash light showed that the room was empty. The door on the other side of the room was open and a small amount of light entered the room from the hallway.

Tony had been asleep but was awakened abruptly by the noise. He wasn't sure what it was. At first he thought it was a door slamming, but it had caused the wall to vibrate. The door in the next room had been slammed before and the wall never vibrated. No, this was something else. This was more like an explosion. He listened intently but could hear nothing more.

Jack's group walked quietly through the room and into the hall. The next room was the one where they believed Tony was being held. Jack tried the door, but as expected, it was locked. Jack went to work on the heavy lock with a set of picks. This was going to be a hard lock to open. It would be quicker and easier to blow it open, but that would attract too much attention. They would only blow it open if forced to do so.

Tony had just started to relax again when he heard the door rattle. The sound made him jump. He wondered who was on the other side of the door. Whoever it was didn't have a key, so it probably wasn't Yuen or any of his men. He thought for a second that it could be a rescue team, but banished the thought immediately, too afraid to get his hopes up. He was already partially hidden by a crate, but inched himself further behind it for protection. He didn't know what was coming next, but he didn't want to be a sitting duck.

Jack was losing patience with the lock when Chase's voice came through their earpieces. "Falcon has landed. Repeat, Falcon has landed."

"Welcome, Falcon" answered ground crew member Ben Hamilton. "What's your position?"

"Right on the mark, staging area A. And we've got a perfect view." Chase said scanning the area through his night vision goggles. They could see two hostiles on the roof and two more acting as sentries around the perimeter of the building. "We need about ninety seconds to neutralize the target and we'll meet you inside."

"Copy, Falcon. See you there."

"Jack," Wayne Engle, one of the "ground crew," said softly. "We're out of time. Let Dave blow the door." Jack agreed and stepped back. Dave stepped forward again and carefully placed an absolute minimum of explosives on the door. Wayne was timing the operation to give Chase the time he needed. The explosion in the tunnel had not attracted any attention, but this one might. They couldn't afford to attract any attention.

Chase and his team watched and waited as one of the sentries disappeared behind the building. At that point each of them got one of the hostiles in his sites. Chase gave the signal and they fired. All three of the men dropped. The fourth man heard the noise and came running back to investigate. By then Chase and his men had advanced and shot him at nearly point blank range. The hostiles inside were awakened by the noise and took up defensive positions at the windows. They took aim and began firing at the jump team.

Chase and his team took cover and began to fire back. Despite the fact that they were taking fire, they were all smiling. The hostiles took the bait. While Yuen's men were concentrating on firing on the three men outside, there were four men coming up from the basement to surprise them. The jump team had to provide just enough resistance to make sure that the hostiles continued to fire from inside the house. If they tried to come outside, all bets were off.

"Come on upstairs, Prairie Dog." Chase said into his radio. "They're focused on us now. We can hold them for another minute or so."

"We're on our way." Jack responded. "Dave, blow the door. We've got to move."

Jack, Wayne and Ben ascended the stairs quickly while Juan and Dave blew the door. Dave had calculated correctly; the explosion was small, but the charges had been critically placed and the door came open easily. Dave entered with his weapon drawn. With the light from the hallway, he could see a figure against the crate in the corner.

"Don't move!" He shouted first in English then in Korean. The assault team had quickly learned some key phrases in Korean in case the need for them arose. "Put your hands where I can see them."

Tony leaned forward into the light. "Appleton, is that you?" Tony asked in disbelief. At the same time, they began to hear the sound of combat boots on the floor above them. Round after round of gunshots peppered the air.

"Hell, yeah" Dave shouted over the din. "I needed a vacation, thought I'd check out Korea." He looked over his shoulder at Juan. "I'll cover the door. Let's get him out of here."

Juan ran into the room and dropped the heavy backpack he was carrying. "Here you might need these."

"Geez, Juan! How did you get here?" Tony asked almost too stunned to speak.

Juan pulled a bulletproof vest, fatigue jacket and helmet for Tony out of the backpack. "You know how it is, Jack wouldn't take 'no' for an answer. By the way, you look like shit, Buddy." Juan told him trying to lighten the mood as he eased Tony's arm into the jacket. "Can you still shoot?" He asked as he handed Tony a sidearm.

"Better than you" Tony answered taking the gun in his right hand. Tony still couldn't believe Juan was standing in front of him. He wanted to ask a thousand questions: How did they get here? Who else was with them? How is Michelle? But he knew that would have to wait for later.

"They need us upstairs." Juan said. "Let's get going."

The three of them ran up the stairs and into the fray. The air smelled of spent ammunition. At least three of Yuen's men lay dead or wounded inside near the windows. The fighting had moved outside. Two more lay dying just outside of the building. They could see no one but could hear gunfire coming from three distinct areas around the building.

Jack's voice came through their earpieces. "Ben and I are pinned down in the trees about 30 yards to the left of the building. We need some help."

Chase shouted through the sound of automatic weapons fire. "We've got our hands full, Jack. Hang in there; we'll get there as soon as possible."

Dave, Juan and Tony began to move in Jack's direction. "Hold tight, Jack. We're on our way." Dave told him. Tony had trouble keeping up with Juan and Dave but did his best to maintain the pace. His entire body ached and with each step the pain in his side and his arm increased.

They came quickly upon the hostiles and started firing. Two of them were taken by surprise and dropped quickly. Ben was able to take down a third. Jack remained pinned down by two men. Dave and Tony circled around behind them. With all of the noise they were completely unnoticed until they were a few steps away. The first man turned and began to shoot but lost his balance. His shot went awry and Dave couldn't miss at this range. He fired and the man fell.

Tony held the semiautomatic pistol that Juan had given him. It was clenched in his right hand, his arm outstretched in front of him. The man shooting at Jack remained unaware of Tony until he felt the cold steel of Tony's gun at the base of his neck.

Everything was quiet. All gunfire had ceased. "Drop your weapon." Tony demanded through gritted teeth. "Drop your weapon and put your hands behind your head, Yuen." He repeated angrily.

"I seem to be at a distinct disadvantage." Yuen said calmly.

"Shut up and drop your weapon." Tony demanded again.

"Why? So you can shoot an unarmed man. I don't like those odds." Yuen spun and leveled his gun.

Tony coolly pulled the trigger. Yuen was thrown backwards to the ground but held onto his gun. Tony aimed again and shot twice more then stepped forward to kick the gun away from Yuen. Jack ran forward and grabbed the gun from the ground. Yuen lay gasping for breath.

"You were a worthy opponent, Mr. Almeida." He said in a barely audible whisper. "One more bullet would finish the job, if you would do me that favor."

Tony smiled a mirthless smile and shook his head. "Not a chance. If you're lucky, you'll die before the wolves find you." He said as he replaced the safety on the weapon and pushed it into the waistband of his pants.

The entire assault team was now standing together around Tony. He was overwhelmed by how his friends had risked their lives to save him. He quickly blinked some tears from his eyes; there would be time for that later. He pushed back the emotions for the moment. "It's a long ride home, guys. Let's get going."


	18. Safe at Last

Chapter 18: Safe at Last

Tony and the assault team ran toward the headquarters building, downstairs and back through the underground tunnel. They needed to get away from the area quickly. The gunfire was sure to attract the attention of the South Korean military that had surrounded the compound. It was only a matter of time before they stormed the headquarters building. The American assault team was there without the permission of the South Korean government. In other words, they were there illegally. Neither the CIA nor the President knew they were there. In fact, the President had expressly forbidden any rescue attempt. If the South Korean military caught this rogue American unit and notified their government, their President would immediately contact President Prescott. Even without catching the assault team, the South Koreans were going to figure out what happened pretty quickly. Before they did, Ian Calvert would have to contact Brad Hammond and notify him of the rescue. Brad would then contact the President and make up some sort of excuse. He would tell Prescott that Calvert had gone behind his back and worked outside of the agency. Prescott would be livid, but when the South Korean President called him Prescott would apologize and say that he had authorized the mission and that the CIA could not notify the South Korean government before the assault because of concerns over secrecy. The South Korean President wouldn't be happy with that answer, but it was not likely to cause any real diplomatic tension between the two countries.

And, because the rescue had been a success, Prescott would be hard pressed to bring charges against Calvert. Calvert would get a slap on the wrist and Hammond would be reprimanded for not keeping a closer eye on his employees, but both would be publicly praised for saving Almeida who would be recognized for his bravery and likely to be called a hero for helping to destroy Yuen's terrorist network.

A truck was waiting at the tunnel opening to transport the team back to the military base. They jumped into the back of the truck, pulled the door closed behind them and the driver took off. The ride back to the base was almost forty minutes, so they settled back on benches along the sides of the truck. There was a cooler filled with water bottles in one corner. Chase opened it and passed the bottles out to the winded team. Tony emptied the first bottle in one long drink, then signaled to Chase that he wanted a second.

"When's did you last have anything to eat or drink?" Chase asked as he handed the bottle to Tony.

"It's probably been at least 24 hours. The room I was in was dark; I've lost track of time. I don't even know what day it is." Tony stopped to drink from the second bottle.

"It's Thursday." Ben told him.

"Thursday!" Tony exclaimed. "I would have guessed possibly Tuesday, but I really thought it was Monday. I didn't realize that I had been gone that long. Michelle must be worried sick. When can I call her?"

"Probably when we get back to the base." Jack said. "Unless there is some reason why we have to continue to keep this quiet for a while, we can probably all contact our families as soon as we get back."

"Have you talked to her, Jack? Is she okay? Did she know you guys were trying to rescue me?"

"I haven't talked to her in a couple of days, Tony. She was doing okay at first, but she was pretty scared. She knows these situations don't usually have a happy ending. Kate spent some time with her and your parents have been there for her. We decided not to tell her about the rescue attempt. We just didn't want to get her hopes up."

The men rode in silence for a while as the adrenaline rush passed. Tony broke the silence. "Guys, I don't know how to thank you. I can't believe you all risked your lives for me. It's overwhelming to think you would do this for me." He shook his head not knowing what to say next.

"You would have done the same for any of us, Tony." Dave told him.

Tony looked at Jack. "I can't believe you talked Hammond into letting you do this."

"I couldn't talk Hammond into anything. He basically told me that he couldn't do anything, that his hands were tied. Prescott was refusing any negotiation or rescue."

"Then how did you pull this off?" Tony asked him.

"Ian Calvert did it. He called in a bunch of favors and went outside of the agency to arrange everything."

"Ian Calvert?" Tony said in a surprised voice. "I hardly know Ian. Why would he risk his career for me?"

Jack wasn't sure how much to tell Tony about his father-in-law. "Ian had his reasons. I'm going to let him explain, Tony."

Tony wasn't sure what Jack was trying to say but at the moment he didn't really care. He was finally safe and would see his family again soon. All he really wanted was to go home.

Tears dripped slowly from Michelle's eyes and traced wet paths down her face. She didn't bother to wipe them away. What was the point? They would just be replaced by others as she stared blankly at the wall of the hospital room. Her mother-in-law held her hand gently but offered no words of encouragement. Even Maria Almeida, whose children had long ago nicknamed her "Little Mary Sunshine" for her constant optimistic outlook, feared that this time there would be no happy ending.

The doctors had done all they could, but in the end, there was no way for them to stop Michelle's labor. Just a little over two hours ago at 3:12pm Pacific time, Michelle gave birth to her fourth child, a daughter who weighed slightly less than a pound. Michelle watched in horror as the doctors worked on the tiny infant. The baby lay still, making no attempt to cry or withdraw from the huge figures that towered over her. It was all so surreal as they put a thin tube down her throat into lungs which were too immature to work properly. They attached the tube to a machine that would breathe for her until her lungs could do it by themselves. Michelle watched as the baby; who was not much bigger than her hand, was whisked away from her and taken to the neonatal intensive care unit.

Michelle was taken back to her own hospital room to recover and to wait for word on her daughter's condition. It seemed like forever before the doctor came to talk to her. Dr. Snyder was an odd looking man. He was very tall, probably 6 feet, seven or eight inches, and extremely thin which made him look even taller. He appeared to be self conscious about his height and stood a bit hunched over making him look older than he really was. He was soft spoken for such a big man and his voice was higher than she would have expected. She had noticed how gently he had handled her tiny baby, though and was grateful for that.

Dr. Snyder showed his hospital ID to the two CTU agents that were standing guard at Michelle's door. They checked it against the list they were given and granted him entry. He knocked softly before entering. "Mrs. Almeida?" He said softly as he looked at Michelle.

Michelle nodded knowing that if she spoke she would cry.

"I'm Dr. Snyder." He took her hand not so much to shake it but to give it a firm and reassuring squeeze. "I just wanted to stop by and say 'hello' to you and let you know that everything possible is being done for your daughter right now."

Michelle nodded again, tears now flowing faster from her eyes. The doctor squeezed her hand again.

"Unfortunately, Mrs. Almeida, this is a battle we aren't likely to win. The baby is so premature and her organ systems are so immature that I would be lying to you if I told you her chances for survival were good."

Michelle looked away from the doctor. It was Maria who spoke. "Doctor, is there any chance that the baby will survive?"

"A small one," he answered. "I've seen a couple of babies this premature survive, but they spent three to four months in the intensive care unit. It is possible that she'll live, I just need for you to understand that it isn't likely."

Michelle finally spoke. "Can I see her?" She asked.

"Yes, you can see her any time you'd like."

"Thank you." She whispered. "I'd like to see her now."

"Let me check with your nurse to see it's okay for you to go now." He left the room ducking beneath the door frame, something he really didn't have to do but seemed to do as a matter of course.

Michelle reached for a tissue and dried her eyes. She had cried so much during the last few days that she wondered how many tears she had left. The thought of having to see the baby for the first time without having Tony there for support was agonizing. She would call Hammond after she visited the baby and ask for an update knowing full well that if there was any good news that the agents outside her door would have delivered it. And if there was bad news, Hammond would be there to deliver it himself.

She got out of bed with little help from her mother-in-law. She was a bit sore, but having a one pound baby was nothing like having a full term infant. Joe weighed almost nine pounds when he was born. Memories of that day flooded her. She and Tony were so happy. She remembered the huge smile on Tony's face as he cut the umbilical cord. They were both laughing and crying at the same time. She contrasted that moment with this one. There was no comparison. She was at the pinnacle of happiness that day and now sat beneath an avalanche of sadness that seemed about to crush her.

Michelle put on her robe and slippers and waited for Dr. Snyder who returned in about five minutes with a wheelchair. He was so tall that he had to lean far forward to push it. "I thought this might be easier." He told her as he helped her sit down. He looked at Maria who stood next to Michelle. "I'm only supposed to let parents in the unit," he said, "but in this case I think I can make an exception."

She smiled and thanked him and walked along side of the wheelchair.

Tony lay on a gurney in the hospital unit of the military base waiting to see the doctor. As uncomfortable as the gurney was Tony found it far better than the cold, hard dirt floor that he had been sleeping on for the last several days. He was starting to warm up, something he thought would never happen again. Two of the medical workers had cleaned him up finally getting all of the dried blood off of his face and neck. A nurse put a dressing on the cut above his eye. They were in the process of finding some clean clothes for him and told him that after the doctor saw him that he would probably be allowed to shower. Right now he was waiting for the doctor who would also have the results of the x-rays and the CAT scan that were taken earlier.

He was waiting as patiently as possible, but was anxious to call Michelle. We wanted her to be able to stop worrying. We wanted her to know that he loved her and he would be home as soon as possible. He had asked to call Michelle before he got medical treatment, but was told 'no'.

Ian Calvert had just notified Brad Hammond of the successful rescue. Hammond needed time to talk to the President, who in turn, needed time to talk to the South Korean President before any family members could be notified. They couldn't afford for the media to find out that the rescue had taken place and put it on the evening news before all of the key players had been briefed.

In addition to that, the South Korean intelligence unit had just arrested Weldon Hutchins in Seoul. Hutchins was proving a valuable find. He was hoping to lessen his own sentence by providing the contact information for Yuen's people in the US. He was basically singing like a canary and giving out every name and location for all of the men involved in the Los Angeles operation. The CIA wanted to find and arrest those people before news of Almeida's rescue and Yuen's subsequent death were released. If the terrorist cell in LA knew that Yuen was dead, they would scatter to the four corners of the country and never be found. As long as they thought Yuen was alive, they would go underground, but stay where Yuen could contact them.

So, in short, "no" Tony could not call Michelle, nor could any of the other men contact their families. And Ian could not tell them how long it would be before they could contact their families or when they would be able to go home. Tony tried to rationalize that his current situation was far better than it had been just a few hours ago, but that didn't make him feel much better.

Tony looked up as he heard a knock on the door. The door opened slightly and Ian Calvert leaned in. "Tony, can I come in?"

"Ian," Tony said, as he moved into a sitting position. He extended his right hand so they could shake. "Please, come in. I understand that I have you to thank for my being rescued. I don't know what to say. I can't thank you enough. Are you going to get in any trouble?"

"No, I talked to Hammond. On the surface it has to appear as if he is reprimanding me, but the truth is that he's happy that I did it. Bradford isn't as bad a guy as you might think. Believe me, Tony; he didn't want you to die. I'm sure that I'll get some official slap on the wrist, but there isn't much they can do to me."

"Ian, I appreciate everything you've done for me, but I have to admit, I'm not sure I know why you did it. You were never known as someone who bucked the system. I know you and Brad lock horns at times, but planning an entire assault behind his back and in direct defiance of the President seems out of character for you."

Ian started to answer but they were interrupted by a knock at the door. "Mr. Almeida," the woman said as she entered the room. "I'm Dr. Wade. I didn't realize that you had company."

"I was just leaving." Ian told her. "Tony, the good news is that as long as Dr. Wade here says you are fit for travel, we have a flight out of here at 9 o'clock. You'll be home with your family before you know it."

"Thanks, Ian. We'll talk later." Tony said as Ian left.

Dr. Wade waited for Ian to close the door. "You've had a rough go of it. How are you feeling?"

Tony smiled. "I'm tired, I'm sore and I want to go home. Other than that, I think I'll survive."

The doctor smiled back. "I think you'll survive, too." She put the developed x-rays and CAT scan film on a lighted panel so they could both see them. "Let's start with the easy one." She pointed to the x-ray of his hand and arm. "I bet you aren't going to be surprised when I tell you that you have a broken wrist."

"No, I pretty much assumed that." Tony answered.

"The problem is that you need an orthopedic surgeon. I can put it in a splint and bandage it, but as soon as you get back to the States, you need to see an orthopedic surgeon. This is a bad break and they are probably going to have to put a metal pin in it. You may end up with a couple of surgeries to fully correct that."

She paused for a moment to see if Tony had any questions. When he didn't, she continued, "The next set of x-rays is your ribs. And again, I doubt if you are surprised to find out that you have a couple broken ribs."

"No, that's not a surprise either."

"The good thing," Dr. Wade said pointing at the CAT scan "is that there are no internal injuries. The ribs didn't puncture your lung and there is no evidence that there is any internal bleeding. I didn't think we would find any. You would be in much worse condition if you had internal injuries, but we did the CAT scan as a precaution."

She paused again. "I need to do a full exam, but overall you are in pretty good condition physically. I can get you something for pain if you need it."

"That would be great." Tony said nodding.

"I am concerned about your emotional state. This has been a harrowing experience for you, Mr. Almeida. I'd like you to talk to one of our psychologists. You need to understand that developing post-traumatic stress disorder after an ordeal like this would not be unusual."

Tony looked down and smiled. "I was in the Marines and worked for the CIA long enough to know the signs of post-traumatic stress disorder. My wife was a CIA agent, too, so she also knows what to look for. We'll watch for that, but right now all I want is food and a shower and to go home. I can't begin to sort out my feelings until I've seen my family. So if you don't mind, I can talk to a psychologist when I get back to LA."

"That's your choice, Mr. Almeida. I just want you to know that we have a psychologist here if you need one." He thanked her and she proceeded with a physical examination. When she was finished she pronounced him healthy although pretty battered up. He was taken to officers' quarters where he could shower and change clothes.

He couldn't remember the last time a shower felt that good. He stood in the warm water feeling as though he was stripping a lifetime of dirt from his body. After the shower he found his way to the officers' mess hall for some breakfast. It was not quite 5am but Tony knew from the smell as he neared the building that breakfast preparations were well under way. He entered the empty mess hall and was met by an eager young Private who snapped to attention.

"Sir" he said as he saluted.

"At ease, Soldier." Tony told him. "I haven't been an officer for a long time. No need to salute."

"I'm sorry, Sir." The Private said in a Midwestern drawl. Tony smiled at him. He couldn't possibly have been more than 18 or 19 years old. He had red hair and a boyish face and green eyes that just shone with excitement. This was likely his first deployment after basic training and he was still reveling in the fun of his first grown up adventure away from home. "We've all been following your story real close and it's just an honor to meet you. This is the most excitement we've had here since I've been here."

Tony was amused by the young man's zeal. "How long have you been here, Keller?" Tony asked reading his name patch.

"Six weeks, Sir." He answered.

"I'm sure if you're stationed here long enough there will be some real excitement. In the meantime, is there any chance I can get some breakfast?"

"Captain said you would probably be coming in early so Cookie put together something special for you. Have a seat, I'll bring it right out. Would you like some coffee? How about orange juice?"

"Coffee would be great. Do you have any grapefruit juice?"

"Yes, Sir, of course. I'll bring that right out." He snapped to attention again but this time did not salute, he made an abrupt about face and stepped off toward the kitchen.

Tony smiled and rubbed his forehead. He turned to sit down and realized for the first time that there was someone else sitting several tables away. He was an elderly man in civilian clothing. Tony's first thought was that it was Ian Calvert, but on second look saw that it wasn't Ian. This man was older and thinner than Ian and he had penetrating blue eyes. The man instantly looked familiar to Tony but like Brad Hammond and Jack Bauer before him, he couldn't place where he had met the man before.

The man stood and extended his hand. "Tony, thank God you're safe."

Tony shook hands with him and looked at the man closely. "Thank you" Tony said graciously. "Sir, I'm sure we've met, but I can't place you at the moment. I'm sorry."

Evan smiled at his son-in-law. "Don't be sorry. We've never met before, Tony, at least not formally. I see you at the playground where you take you children. One day your son's soccer ball rolled over near my dog. He was afraid to come near the dog so I tossed it back to him. You thanked me."

"I remember. You have the little cocker spaniel." Tony said nodding in recognition. "I've seen you there several times."

"His name is Spencer. We take care of each other. He was the runt of the litter. He wasn't of any value as a show dog so the breeder was going to destroy him. He asked if I wanted him. I was just starting to get sober and I decided that the dog might be good for me. It gave me something to think about other than alcohol. He's been a good companion." Evan stopped for a moment. "I wasn't at the park by accident, Tony. I come there intentionally to see you and your children…" he paused, "and Shelley."

Tony was surprised and a bid unnerved by Evan's last statement. Who was this man? Why was he watching Tony's family? "Shelley? You mean my wife? Michelle?"

"When she was a little girl, I called her Shelley. She's my daughter, Tony. I'm Evan Dessler."

Private Keller seemed to appear out of nowhere with a pot of coffee, a mug, cream and sugar and a tall glass of grapefruit juice all balanced on a tray. "Your breakfast will be right up, Mr. Almeida." He looked at Evan. "Can I get you some breakfast, too, Sir?" He asked.

"No thanks, Private. My days and nights are all messed up from the time changes. Right now my body thinks that it's time for bed." Evan said. He held up his coffee cup and gestured toward the pot Keller had just placed in front of Tony. "If Tony will share his coffee, I'll be fine."

Tony stood silent transfixed by the revelation that the man before him was his father-in-law. His first instinct was not to believe the story, but one look at the man told Tony all he needed to know. The resemblance between he and Michelle was undeniable and his resemblance to Michelle's brother Danny was stronger still.

"Have you talked to Michelle? Does she know you're here?"

Evan shook his head. "No, she has no idea. I didn't want to create any more emotional upheaval in her life than she already has. I've stayed in the shadows of her life for the past 25 years, now is not the time for me to reveal myself."

Private Keller returned with two plates and set them both on the table in front of Tony. One was loaded with a stack of pancakes and link sausages. The second had scrambled eggs, home fried potatoes, ham and an English muffin. "I thought I'd start you with this." Keller told him. "Cookie's got some real nice creamed chipped beef I could put over toast if you like."

"No, I think this will be enough, but thanks, Keller." Keller did his usual snappy about face and went back toward the kitchen. Tony thought he caught a hint of disappointment in the kid's eyes when he turned down the creamed chipped beef.

"So, explain what you're doing here. How did you get here? You've been stalking Michelle and me and our kids and now you turn up in Korea. I can honestly tell you that Michelle hasn't mentioned your name three times in the ten years we've been together and now you tell me you've been lurking in, what did you call it, 'the shadows of her life'. I'm sorry but this is a bit like the plot of a bad horror movie."

"You make it sound criminal, Tony. I never made any attempt to contact Shelley or to do any harm to any of you. I'm a father, undeniably not a very good one, but a father none the less. I love my children, you may choose not to believe that, but I do. I just wanted to make sure they were happy. Both of them spent a lot of unhappy years because of me. It's a joy to be able to sit in the park and watch Shelley with the children. She smiles and laughs. After all of the pain I inflicted on her, I'm grateful that she can still laugh." He shook his head. "Believe me, Tony, I never meant to hurt her or Danny or Anne. I loved them and I thought leaving them was the best thing for them."

Tony's initial reaction was to be angry with Evan. He knew how much this man had hurt Michelle; so much, in fact, that she almost never said his name or acknowledged that he existed. She spoke in loving terms of her mother, but on the rare occasion that she spoke of Evan, her tone was one of cool indifference. Now listening to him here, Tony was beginning to soften toward Evan. "None of this explains how you ended up here."

"That," Evan sighed "is a long story."

"It seems to me that we've got plenty of time." Tony said locking eyes with him. "Why don't you start at the beginning?"


	19. Coming Home

_Thanks again to all of you who have reviewed. Some of you have reivewed almost every chapter and I really appreciate it. _

_Quick personal note to the reviewer formerly known as Lobsters34 - You're right Michelle is about 5-6mo. pregnant but babies at that stage of gestation don't weigh anything near 4lbs. (Some full term babies weigh barely 5 pounds.) Also, all organ systems begin to develop in the first month but none are fully developed at that time. Lungs are among the last system to develop prior to birth. Hope that clarifies things._

_So on with the story..._

Chapter 19: Coming Home

Michelle climbed slowly back into bed. She pressed the button on the side rail to lower the head of the bed so that she could lie down. On her way back to her room Michelle had suggested to her mother-in-law that she go back to the safe house and help with the children. Right now they needed her more than she did. Maria protested at first but decided that this was probably Michelle's way of saying that she needed some time to herself. Michelle hugged her and said good night and watched as Maria left.

Once her mother-in-law was gone she turned out the light and lay in the dark room. The reality of how sick her baby was had begun to sink in. She should probably be crying but at the moment all of her tears seemed to have dried up. If someone had asked her what emotion she was feeling at the moment, she wouldn't have known what to tell them. She couldn't describe the emotion; it was almost as if she was numb. The trip to the neonatal intensive care unit had been mentally exhausting. She thought she was prepared to see her daughter but realized that nothing could prepare a mother to see her child that way. She curled up on her side to think through the last hour.

As she entered the unit, she was immediately struck by how warmly it was decorated. The walls and floor and counter tops were all done in soft shades of mauve and seafoam. But she found that the soft décor was merely a ruse. Nurses and doctors in mauve scrubs scurried about the unit taking care of their tiny charges. All around the room lay undersized babies with anxious parents hovering over them. Fortunate parents were able to sit in rocking chairs and hold some of the larger babies. One mother was even giving her baby a bottle.

Even viewing the other babies from a distance, it was clear to Michelle that her baby was by far the smallest. Her fragile looking legs were just a little bigger around than Michelle's fingers and her skin hung on her tiny frame as if she still needed to grow into it. She had IV lines and monitor leads everywhere and her little chest moved up and down in time with the ventilator that was doing the breathing for her. Michelle knew better than to ask if she could hold her baby but hoped that she could at least touch her. She was horrified to find that to touch her own child she had to wear gloves. It's for the baby's safety, the nurse explained. Michelle nodded, understanding of course but wanting so much just to feel her baby's skin next to her own.

Looking around the unit she noticed that all of the other babies had their names carefully stenciled on white clouds that were trimmed in either pink or blue and hung on the wall above them. The baby's nurse watched as Michelle's eyes moved slowly across the room taking in each name: Jessica, Amelia, Kevin, Tyler, Abigail…

"If you'd like I can put the baby's name up so everyone knows what to call her." The nurse said quietly.

Michelle's eyes filled with tears as she realized that she and Tony had never even discussed a name for the baby. She blinked back the tears and her mother-in-law reached for her hand and squeezed it gently. Michelle knew instantly what she would name the baby and she knew that Tony would approve.

"I'd like that." Michelle said, her voice quivering slightly. "Her name is 'Maria'."

She sat next to Maria stroking her gently with a gloved hand. Her heart swelled with love for the baby just as it had when she first touched her other three children. She didn't want to leave her side. She and Tony had spent lots of nights sitting up with one or another of their children when they were sick. Maria should be no different; she would stay with Maria as long as necessary.

Dr. Snyder eventually persuaded her that she should say good night and go back to her room. Michelle wanted to protest but knew it was pointless. They weren't going to let her sit up all night with Maria even if she did want to. So she nodded silently and promised the baby that she would be back in the morning. She told her to get well and to grow and that her Mommy and Daddy loved her and would always be there for her. She got back in the wheelchair and rode back to her room staring straight ahead but not seeing anything.

Now she lay in the darkness, the sheets cool against her skin. The events of the day, labor and childbirth and the trip to see Maria, had drained her and she welcomed the solitude. Slowly, without even realizing it was happening, Michelle closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep.

It was now nearly 8:30am in Korea and Tony and Evan continued to sit in the officer's mess hall talking. More accurately, Evan was talking and Tony was listening. The story was fascinating albeit sad. Tony would have never dreamed that Michelle's father was a CIA agent let alone one of the most famous in the last fifty years. His explanation as to why he left his family, the pain that it caused him and his struggles with alcoholism gave Tony a respect for the man that he wouldn't have imagined possible just a few hours ago when they met.

Neither of them paid any attention as the time passed and the mess hall filled up with hungry officers, most back from an early morning run. Those officers had eaten their meals and gone off to duty stations and now Tony and Evan were once again alone. Private Keller kept his distance as he cleaned up tables and straightened chairs, getting ready for the lunch crowd in a couple of hours.

Tony was startled when he felt a hand on his shoulder. Ian Calvert stood next to him. "So are you two ready for a trip back to LA?" He asked them. "We can start boarding. The sooner we get packed up the sooner we get home."

Tony stood, ready to go. "Any chance I can call Michelle before we go?"

"Sorry, Tony. CTU is still rounding up Yuen's men in LA. They're hopeful that the operation should be complete my morning in LA. They know to contact us as soon as they've completed the sweep. More than likely you'll be able to call before we land. Believe me, Tony we'll have you on the phone to Michelle as soon as possible. I've made it clear to CTU that it is my top priority."

Tony thanked Ian and boarded the plane with the assault team. He grabbed a blanket, slipped into a seat and buckled himself in for take off. He settled back knowing that he had a long flight ahead of him. The plane was barely airborne when Tony fell into a deep dreamless sleep, the first he had had in days.

Michelle slept well and woke up just a little after 8 o'clock when Dr. Hild came into her room on morning rounds.

"Michelle," she said after she examined her. "You're doing fine. I'm going to discharge you this morning. I'm sure that your family needs you right now."

"I can't leave!" Michelle said indignantly. "The baby needs me here. I can't leave her alone. She needs to know that I love her and I'll always be there for her."

"You can visit her whenever you want, Michelle. But she's in very good hands. You need to take care of yourself and your other children." Dr. Hild looked into Michelle's eyes. She had known Michelle since before she was pregnant with Sophie and had grown to like both her and Tony. "Michelle, I can't imagine what you're going through right now. I really think the best thing for you is to go home and be with your family."

"You can discharge me, but you can't make me go home. I'm not leaving Maria." Michelle knew she was being irrational but couldn't help it.

Dr. Hild gave up. She wasn't going to win this argument. "You're right. I can't make you leave but I'm writing your discharge orders. What you do after discharge is up to you."

Michelle got washed and put on her robe and slippers and told her nurse that she was going to see her daughter. "Your breakfast will be here in a few minutes." The nurse told her but Michelle said that she wasn't hungry and made her way down the hall with a CTU agent in tow.

Michelle went right to Maria without taking much time to look around at the other babies. She introduced herself to the day shift nurse who seemed awfully preoccupied with checking monitors and entering numbers into the computer. Michelle watched as the young nurse pressed a stethoscope to Maria's little chest and listened. Michelle's concern grew.

"Is something wrong?" Michelle finally asked her.

The nurse sighed. "I'm going to have to call Dr. Snyder. She's not breathing as well as she was earlier. Her chest seems congested."

"What does that mean?" Michelle asked growing ever more concerned.

"She may have a little fluid in her lungs or she could have pneumonia."

"Those both sound bad." Michelle said

"Let's wait and see. It could be nothing." The nurse smiled at her, but Michelle wasn't convinced.

She stayed as close to the baby as possible but soon found that she was in the way. Dr. Snyder and another doctor came to examine Maria and an x-ray technician with a huge portable x-ray machine came to do a chest x-ray. The nurse suggested gently but firmly that it might be better if Michelle went back to her room and told her that they would call her if anything changed.

When Michelle got back to her room, she found Tony's sister Vanessa waiting for her. She told Vanessa about her visit with the baby when a knock on the door interrupted their conversation. Father Marty entered the room.

"Michelle," he said as he hugged her. "Tony's mother called me late last night to tell me that you had the baby. I would have gotten here sooner but I had to say morning Mass. Everybody at the church is so worried about you. The Ladies' Sodality had a prayer service for Tony and your family last evening. I've had so many calls from parishioners wanting to know how they can help you." He indicated the small case in his hand. "I thought you might like to have the baby baptized, so I brought everything with me."

Michelle didn't know where the sudden burst of emotion came from, but all of the sudden she was angry; angrier than she had ever been before. "How dare you! How dare you!" Michelle said loudly. "Take your imaginary God and get out of here!"

Michelle's shouting brought the CTU agents into the room. "Is there a problem, Mrs. Almeida?"

"No, it's fine. Thank you. I can deal with it." She told the agent. Michelle then turned her attention and wrath back to Father Marty who stood before her completely shocked.

"Michelle," Father Marty said in a hurt but calm voice. "You're angry right now. It's okay. You're allowed to be angry with God. I'm angry with Him myself."

Michelle wasn't listening. "You preach about a loving God." She said, her voice seething with rage. "You even convinced me, Marty. But it's a lie and you know it. What kind of a loving God would ever do this to us? Tony doesn't deserve what is happening to him. Maria doesn't deserve to be lying in an ICU barely alive. Sophie and Joe and John don't deserve to have their father taken away from them. But your God doesn't seem to have any problem with it. If He did, He would have stopped it. How can you even look at me? I can't believe that I ever let myself actually believe the lies you fed me. I want you to get out of here. I don't ever want to see you again. Don't come near my children or me ever again." Michelle's voice had risen steadily until she was screaming and sobbing hysterically at the priest who made no attempt to stop her or to defend himself.

Vanessa was now beside Michelle and put her arms around her. "Stop, Michelle. You don't mean that. You're just upset."

Michelle shrugged her sister-in-law away. "Get away! You're on his side. I want you both out of here NOW!" She shouted. She grabbed the doorknob and yanked it open. "Get them out of here." She told the CTU agents.

"Michelle, calm down." Father Marty told her. "We'll leave, but you have to calm down." Michelle sobbed loudly and uncontrollably.

The commotion had drawn the attention of the hospital staff. One of the older nurses rushed over to the scene that had now spilled out into the hallway. "I have to ask you to leave." She said to Father Marty and Vanessa. "Mrs. Almeida, let's go into your room. You need to calm down."

"No," Michelle screamed. "I don't want to calm down! I don't want to go back in my room! I want everyone to leave me alone and I want to see my baby." Michelle pushed the nurse away and started running toward the hallway but the CTU agents quickly caught up to her.

Each agent took one of her arms and held her firmly. She fought against them for a few seconds but it was useless. They were too strong and she was much too hysterical to put up any kind of effective physical effort. She let them take her back to her room as she sobbed. By then two nurses and the doctor on-call were there. They closed the door and tried to talk to her. It was futile. Michelle was crying so hard that she had dry heaves. The doctor whispered something to one of the nurses who left the room for a moment. She returned with a syringe in her hand.

"Mrs. Almeida, I'm going to give you something to help you calm down." The doctor told her as he tried to push up her sleeve without success. Michelle was flailing hard against him. The two nurses rushed to help. As they pinned her to the bed one of the nurses pushed her robe and hospital gown up to expose her thigh. She swabbed it quickly with alcohol and slipped the needle into the skin. She injected the drug before Michelle could react.

Five minutes later Michelle was as hysterical as she had been before the injection. Several other staff members had come into the room and were taking turns trying to calm her. "Repeat the injection now and every five minutes until she's calm." The doctor said shaking his head amazed at how strong Michelle was.

It took three more injections to finally sedate her. Shortly after the last injection her screams diminished slowly to whimpers. The staff that was holding her down could feel her muscles relax. They watched as her breathing became slow and regular and she went to sleep.

Tony awoke to the sound of Jack's voice. "Tony, Tony wake up." Jack said. "Ian is going to connect you with the safe house so you can talk to your family."

Tony sat up trying to get his bearings. It all came back quickly and he knew he was on a plane that would finally take him home. "How far are we from LA?"

"We're still about four hours out."

"What time is it in LA?" Tony asked still somewhat disoriented from being woken from such a deep sleep.

"It's about 1pm there." Jack told him.

Tony walked to the back of the plane where Ian was talking on the phone. The CTU agents at the safe house had received word of the successful rescue about 15 minutes earlier. They were happy to finally deliver some good news to Tony's family. Although all of the agents knew better than to become attached to the people they were protecting, they couldn't help but fall in love with the children. Off duty agents found excuses to stay late and play games with Joe and Sophie or build block towers for Dess to gleefully knock over.

Ian finally made the connection to the safe house and handed the Tony the phone. "Mr. Almeida," one of the agents said smiling, "hold please. I think we have some people here who want to talk to you."

"Is that my Daddy?" Sophie said loudly as she ran to the agent. "Please let me talk to him."

The agent looked at Tony's mother who was coming to get the phone. She smiled at him and nodded so he handed the phone to Sophie.

"Daddy? Is it really you?" She said excitedly.

"It's me, Princess. I love you so much, Sophie." Tony's voice cracked with emotion as his eyes brimmed with tears. Jack and Chase smiled as they watched him. They had done the same thing just a few minutes earlier when they talked to their own children.

"Daddy, I missed you so much. I was so scared that you weren't going to come home. Will you be here soon?" She asked.

"Just a few more hours, Baby." By now Tony could hear Joe in the background clamoring to have a chance to talk. "Sweetie, put Joe on so I can talk to him, too."

"Okay," Sophie said reluctantly and handed the phone to her brother.

"Hi Daddy!" Joe said. "When you get home can we play catch? Nobody here plays catch as good as you do. I can't wait for you to come home."

"I'm not sure that I'll be able to play catch for a while, but I'll be home in a few hours, Buddy. Can you hold on until then?"

"I guess so." Joe answered.

"I love you, Joe. I've missed you so much. I can't wait to see you."

"I love you too, Dad. I think Sophie wants to talk again." Joe, who unlike his sister wasn't much of a talker, handed the phone back to Sophie.

"Daddy, why did those bad men take you away from us? Did they hurt you?" Sophie asked.

"I have some cuts and bruises and a broken arm, but other than that, I'll be fine. If you want to talk about the bad men, we'll do that after I get home and get settled, Honey. Is that okay?"

"Sure, Daddy." Sophie answered

"Now can you put Mommy on the phone, I want to talk to her."

"Mommy's not here." Sophie told him. "She and the baby are at the hospital."

"What?" Tony asked. "She and Dess are at the hospital? What happened?"

"Not Dess, Daddy. Dess is upstairs taking a nap. Mommy's at the hospital with Maria, the new baby."

"Maria? Sophie, are you telling me that Mommy had the baby?"

"Yes, Daddy, yesterday. Grandma says the baby's very sick."

"Sophie, give the phone to a grown up right now, Honey."

"Okay, Daddy. I love you. See you soon." Sophie handed the phone to her grandmother. "Daddy wants to talk to a grown up."

"Antonio, thank God you're safe. We were so worried."

"Mama, I'm fine. I'm sorry you had to worry. What's going on with Michelle?"

"She went into labor a couple of days ago. The doctors had it stopped for a while, but when the labor started again there was nothing they could do. The baby was born yesterday around 3 o'clock. It's a little girl, Antonio. She weighs less than a pound. The doctor talked to Michelle last evening. He was very nice, but he told her that the baby's chances weren't very good."

"How's Michelle doing?"

"Physically she's fine; Dr. Hild was going to discharge her this morning. But this has all been very hard on her emotionally, Antonio. She was so upset this morning after seeing the baby that the doctor had to sedate her. When I talked to Vanessa an hour or so ago, she said Michelle was sleeping. The doctor told her to expect Michelle to sleep for quite a while. Apparently they had to give her a big dose of drug to calm her down."

Tony took a breath and collected his thoughts. "Mama, I'm going to talk to the CTU agents that are there with you and see if they'll bring you and Pop and the kids to the airbase so you'll be there when I land. After I spend a little time with you I'll have them take me to the hospital to be with Michelle. I think that's where I need to be right now."

His mother agreed, told him again that she loved him and handed the phone off to one of the CTU agents. The agent told Tony that he would make all necessary arrangements to bring the family to the airbase. Then he had Tony hold while he connected the call to the CTU agents guarding Michelle's hospital room.

"Michelle. Michelle. Wake up, Honey." Vanessa said as she gently shook Michelle's shoulder. "Michelle, Tony's on the phone."

"Vanessa, if she's sleeping that deeply, just let her sleep."

"Tony, she's so worried about you. I just know she'd want to talk to you. She was awake for about ten minutes right after we found out that you'd been rescued."

"How alert was she?" Tony asked.

"She was sleepy. Her speech was slurred but we could understand her. She wanted some water and she asked about you and the baby. We told her that you were safe; that you were coming home. I thought she understood, but she seemed confused. She kept saying that she hurt you and that she was mean to you. She said that you wouldn't love her anymore. I guess she was dreaming. Then her whole focus shifted and she must have remembered what happened earlier because she was trying to apologize to Father Marty but she fell asleep in the middle of it." Vanessa stood near the head of Michelle's bed and smoothed out her tangled curls.

Tony suddenly remembered the argument that he and Michelle had the night before he was kidnapped. He had forgotten all about it. He remembered Michelle accusing him of cheating and how hurt he had been at the time. He remembered drinking scotch until he passed out. It all seemed so unimportant now. "If she wakes up again just tell her that I love her with all my heart and I'll be home soon. Tell her that whatever happened before I was kidnapped doesn't matter. All that matters is that we love each other."


	20. Reunion

Chapter 20: Reunion

Tony flipped the phone closed and put his head down. He squeezed his eyes closed and rubbed his forehead with his right hand. Jack sat down next to him and put a hand on his shoulder.

"Is everything alright at home?" Jack asked

Tony shook his head and took a deep breath trying to compose himself. He proceeded to tell Jack what had transpired. Tony had just finished when Ian Calvert walked toward them holding a telephone.

"Excuse me, Jack." He said. "I know this is bad timing, Tony, but Hammond wants to debrief you now. It'll save you from doing it in person when you get home. It looks like you're going to have a lot to deal with at home, so we thought maybe it would be best to debrief you here."

Tony sighed and nodded then reached for the phone. "Brad, I'm ready."

Tony spent the next two hours going over every detail from the time he got the call from Hutchins threatening Sophie until he and the assault team got into the truck that took them back to the army base. Tony was emotionless as he relived the last few days. His intelligence training took over as he described the events as if they had happened to someone else.

By the time Tony finished, they had only about two hours before the plane would land at an airbase near LA. Tony was sure they were the longest two hours of his life. He couldn't sit still and he checked the time every few minutes.

Evan sat down next to him carrying some sandwiches and fruit that the cook at the officer's mess hall had packed for them before they left Korea. "I thought you might be hungry." Evan said handing him the food.

"Thanks," Tony said. "I guess I should be, but I'm too worried about Michelle and the baby."

"Shelley's a survivor, Tony. She always has been. She'll be fine. Whatever happens to the baby, well, you'll have to work through that together. I've seen the two of you together enough times to know that you're a team; you love each other."

Tony smiled. "I love her more than I would have ever imaged that I could love anyone. My world revolves around her."

"I'm glad she found you and the two of you've made a good life together." Evan paused and remained silent for a few moments. Tony could tell he wanted to say more so he just waited. "Tony," Evan finally said, "when you get your life settled again, I'd like to see Shelley. I'd like to talk to her. I'm a realist; I don't expect her to want me back in her life and I don't expect her to forgive me. I wouldn't even ask her to forgive me. I just want to be able to tell her that I'm sorry for hurting her. That's it, Tony, then I'll leave and be out of your life forever. Can you arrange that? Do you think she would see me?"

"I can try, Evan. I won't promise you anything but I'll talk to her. I'm probably not going to broach the subject with her right away. Right now she's so upset that she had to be sedated. I'm not going to present her with something this sensitive right now. Give me your number and I'll keep in touch."

"I can't ask for anything more, Tony. I don't want to upset her any more than she is right now either. By the same token, I don't have a lot of time. I'd like to see her before I die."

Tony and Evan sat silently for the remainder or the flight. Tony could feel his heart pound with excitement as the pilot told everyone to fasten their seatbelts for landing. A smile erupted on his face as he felt the landing gear touch the runway. The plane slowed rapidly and taxied to the hanger.

Tony's family was escorted by a young lieutenant to an area where they could watch the plane land. "Once the plane stops I'll take you out on the tarmac to see your Dad." He promised Joe and Sophie who were so excited that they couldn't stand still.

The family waited anxiously as the plane came to a stop. As promised, the lieutenant led them outside and they watched as the door opened and the steps were lowered to the tarmac below.

Tony exited the plane first and as soon as Sophie and Joe caught sight of him they took off running. As he reached the bottom step, Tony dropped to one knee and braced himself for the impact of the two children running at top speed. He knew how much it was going to hurt when they hit his broken ribs but he didn't care and took no steps to prevent it.

"Daddy! Daddy!" the two screamed in unison.

Tony reached out for them and drew them tightly to his chest. He turned his head back and forth kissing one and then the other again and again. Tears streamed down his face. "I love you guys so much. I missed you so much." He told them between kisses.

"Daddy, why are you crying?" Sophie said sounding confused. "I thought you'd be happy to be home."

Tony laughed. "I've never been happier, Pumpkin. Sometimes grown ups cry happy tears. That's what these are." He told them as he wiped away tears and kissed each of them again.

Sophie and Joe were now looking closely at their father and noticing his cuts and bruises. "Daddy, those bad men hurt you, didn't they?" Sophie asked pouting and gently touching the cut over his eye.

"Dad can take it, Sophie, he's tough." Joe told her proudly. Tony was his hero and as far as he was concerned, his father was invincible.

"I don't know if I'm tough or not, but everything will heal over the next few weeks and I'll be as good as new."

By now Dess had toddled over and Tony loosened his grip on Joe and Sophie so he could pick Dess up in his right arm. "Hey, Big Guy, how are you doing?" He asked as he kissed his youngest son and stood up.

Tony's mother finally stepped forward and put her arms around him. "Antonio," she whispered as she cried. "Thank God you're home. Are you going to be alright? I didn't expect you to be so badly hurt. You said on the phone that it was nothing." She pulled back a bit to get a better look at him.

"I'll be fine, Mama. I'm alive; that's more than I expected a couple of days ago." He kissed her on her forehead for emphasis.

Still holding Dess, Tony accepted a hug from his father. "I can't thank you two enough for all you've done for us." Tony told him. "Any news on Michelle or the baby?"

"Nothing new. Michelle is still sedated. The baby hasn't shown any signs of improvement." His mother told him.

Jeff DuBose stood a few feet away waiting patiently for the family to have some time together. Jeff stepped forward and put his hand on Tony's shoulder. "Tony, I'm so glad you're home. It's great to see you."

"Thanks, Jeff. Thanks for taking care of my family."

"It's the least we could do. You can spend as much time as you want with your family, then I'll take you to the hospital to be with Michelle. We've also arranged for you to see an orthopedic surgeon about your wrist. I'll give you his number. We told him what was going on and he said he'd see you at your convenience."

"Can my family be moved back to our own home tonight?" Joe and Sophie were clinging close to Tony not wanting to let him out of their sight. He smiled down at them and readjusted Dess who he had balanced on his right hip. "I think the kids are feeling a little insecure. I think they'll be happier at home."

"I wish I could say 'yes,' but we'd like to keep you at the safe house tonight. We think we've got all of Yuen's men but we need to make sure. We'll be done interrogating them by morning. We just want to make sure that there's no chance of retaliation by any of Yuen's men. The plan is to move your family home in the morning. We'll also need you to come in to CTU in the next couple of days to sign the transcript of your debrief."

Tony spent a few more minutes with his parents and children but was anxious to get to the hospital. He kissed them all goodbye and promised Joe and Sophie that he would see them in the morning, then got into the unmarked car with Jeff. As planned, Jeff left via a little known exit in order to avoid the newspaper and television reporters that were camped out in front of the airbase. The press had been given the news of Tony's rescue about an hour before the plane landed and they started setting up their equipment soon after.

Tony was grateful to avoid the press. He would eventually have to talk to them but right now all he wanted was to see his wife. He fidgeted anxiously during the twenty minute drive to the hospital. Jeff called hospital security to notify them that he and Tony were on the way. All of the media that wasn't camped out at the airbase was apparently stationed at the hospital. The word that Michelle had been admitted to the hospital and that the Almeida's now had a premature baby had found its way to the reporters who were hungry for any information they could possibly get a hold of. Just like when Tony was in Argentina, he and Michelle had again become media darlings. Sympathy for them was running high and the hospital had been overwhelmed by mail and gifts and flowers for Michelle. The hospital spokesman had spent the last day trying to keep the press at bay. He repeatedly told them that the family was requesting privacy and that when there was any new information he would tell them.

Hospital security directed Jeff to a loading dock behind the hospital. From there they whisked him into the building and to a service elevator that the members of the press didn't have access to. The security officer pressed the button for the sixth floor and the doors closed in front of them.

As soon as the doors opened Tony spotted Vanessa, who had also been brought to the service elevator by hospital security. "Tony," she called as she ran to him. She threw her arms around her older brother and hugged him tight. She felt him wince and she quickly let go. "Oh, God, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you. What did those bastards do to you?" She asked as she stepped back and took stock of his injuries.

"I'll be fine, Vanessa." Tony said putting the emphasis on 'fine.' He was getting tired of everyone fussing over his injuries. "How's Michelle?"

"She was awake about a half hour ago. She knows that you're okay. She wanted to stay awake but she just couldn't. She fought it for a while but she fell back to sleep. The doctor was in and he said that the drugs should be wearing off and she should really wake up in the next hour or so. Before we go back to Michelle's room did you want to stop by the intensive care nursery and see the baby? The doctor really wants to talk to either you or Michelle and she's been too sedated."

Tony agreed and Vanessa led the way to the waiting area outside of the intensive care nursery. The receptionist took Tony's name and after speaking with one of the nurses, directed him to enter a set of double doors. Once inside, Tony was greeted by a nurse.

"Mr. Almeida, it's nice to meet you. I heard about you on the news a few days ago." She told him as she shook his hand. "I'm Celeste, your baby's nurse. I'll take you over here to see Maria. I'm going to get Dr. Snyder; I know he wants to talk to you."

Tony followed Celeste across the room see his new daughter. He could feel his eyes fill with tears when he saw how tiny and fragile she was. He thought about their other children, they were pink, chubby infants with bright eyes. Maria's eyes were closed and her skin was dusky with a hint of blue. Like Michelle, he just wanted to hold her and at least let her know that he loved her. Instead he stared down at her as a machine breathed for her and medicines dripped slowly into her veins.

Dr. Snyder spoke to him and interrupted his thoughts. "Mr. Almeida," he said reaching out to shake hands. "I recognize you from your pictures; they're all over the news."

Tony smiled wryly. "Believe me, Doctor, I don't try to make the news, but over the last several years I've managed to be the subject of more news stories than I care to remember." He paused and looked down at Maria. "How's my daughter?"

Dr. Snyder sighed. "I wish I had good news for you, Mr. Almeida. She's not doing well. I know this is bad timing, but I have some news that's going to be difficult for you."

"More difficult than seeing my daughter like this?" Tony couldn't quite imagine that this could get any worse, but obviously it was going to.

"We discovered a few hours ago that Maria has a severe heart defect. The defect can be corrected with surgery and if she had been born full term it wouldn't be a problem. But she's too small and too weak to go to surgery right now. In fact it will be months before she's big enough for surgery."

"Are you telling me that my daughter's going to die, Doctor?" Tony asked him bluntly.

"I told your wife yesterday that she has a small chance of surviving. With the heart defect, those odds are getting smaller. Yes, Mr. Almeida, I'm telling you that you and your wife need to prepare yourselves because there is very little I can do for your daughter. I'm sorry."

Tony stared at the floor while he tried to compose himself. "How long do you expect her to live?" He asked as he looked up and met Dr. Snyder's eyes.

"I can't say for sure, anywhere from a few hours to a few days." The doctor said quietly.

Tony looked down at Maria again. "It's funny," he said his voice cracking with emotion. "We have three incredible kids at home; I guess I should be satisfied with that. I'm not sure why this hurts so much."

"It wouldn't matter if you had ten children at home. You love this one as much as the others. I wish there was more that I could do, Mr. Almeida. You and your wife have been through enough hell in the last week for an entire lifetime. I feel like I'm just adding to it."

Tony shook his head. "No, I know you've done everything that you can. Thank you." Tony reached out to shake his hand. "I should probably go and be with my wife now."

Tony thanked him again and looked wistfully at Maria. "Bye, Baby." He whispered as he turned and left the unit.

Vanessa and a CTU agent were waiting for him outside of the intensive care nursery. They walked him back to Michelle's room. The thought of seeing Michelle buoyed him. Regardless of whatever else happened, he still had Michelle. They would support each other and get through this together.

He knocked lightly on the door and in the same motion, gently pushed it open and looked in. Michelle slept quietly, her chest rising and falling slowly with each breath. His eyes again filled with tears as he caught sight of her. She was beautiful, even sound asleep in a hospital bed. Her skin was so creamy and smooth. The curve of her face and the soft red of her lips were as perfect as they had been ten years ago when she first saw her and she stole his heart.

Father Marty stood as soon as he saw Tony and crossed the room quickly. He and Tony hugged and they stepped into the hall to exchange greetings so as not to disturb Michelle. Father Marty told Tony that over the last fifteen minutes or so Michelle seemed to be stirring.

"You two need some time alone." Marty told him. "I'm going to stop and get some dinner at the coffee shop down the street, then I'm going home. If there's anything you need, call me. Anytime, Tony, day or night. I mean that, okay."

"Thanks, Marty. You've been a great friend. I understand Michelle was a little hard on you this morning…"

Father Marty interrupted him. "Don't worry about it. The stress just all got to her. I don't blame her. I knew she wasn't really angry with me; she was just angry. She deserved to be angry. She'll be fine once she sees you."

Vanessa kissed Tony goodbye and left a few minutes later. Tony slipped quietly back into the room and stood next to Michelle's bed. He noticed his wedding ring hanging from the chain on her neck and smiled. With only full function in one hand, he awkwardly loweredthe side rail on her bed so he could sit on the edge. She stretched a bit and turned her head to one side. Tony gently brushed some curls out of her face and then tenderly stroked her cheek with the back of his fingers.

Tony leaned in close. "Hey, Beautiful," he said, his face just inches from hers. "Sweetheart, I'm here. I'm home, Michelle." He kissed her lips softly. "Wake up, Honey."

Michelle stretched again and turned her head. "Tony," she murmured, her eyes still closed.

"That's right, Honey. I'm here. Wake up, Michelle." He continued to stroke her face and kiss her.

"Tony," she whispered again in a sleepy voice, her eyes still closed.

"I'm here, Michelle. I'm here. Open your eyes, Honey."

Her eyes opened slowly not quite focusing yet. Tony smiled broadly, "Hi, Sweetheart! I love you so much."

A look of recognition crossed her face. "Oh, Tony!" Michelle exclaimed. She threw her arms around his neck and pulled him onto the bed with her, his face buried in her neck. "Oh God, Tony! I was so scared. I thought I'd never see you again."

Tony pulled back slightly and turned his head so he could kiss her. He quickly found her mouth and pressed his lips hard to hers. They kissed for a long time barely taking time to breathe.

They both pulled back to get their breath. "I can't believe your home, Tony. How did you get away from Yuen?"

"I didn't escape on my own. I was rescued." Tony told her as Michelle shifted position to make room for him on the bed.

Michelle watched Tony grimace as he lay down beside her. "I'm okay, Michelle." He said defensively. He wasn't sure why he was so embarrassed when anyone commented on his injuries. In some ways his ego was injured more than his body. To him, the kidnapping was due to his own failure to adequately protect himself and his family. He felt the same way years ago when Stephen Saunders kidnapped Michelle. "A couple of broken ribs and a broken wrist is all. I'll be fine." She curled against his right side and put her arm around him.

"Hammond said they weren't sending in another assault team. What made him change his mind?" She asked.

"It's a long story, Honey. Let's not talk about it now." He leaned in and kissed her again. "You're so warm. This feels so good." He remembered how cold he had been while Yuen was holding him in that root cellar. The memory made the warmth and softness of his wife even sweeter. He snuggled into her trying to find a comfortable position. They lay quietly for a long time each soaking up the warmth and softness of the other's body.

Tony finally broke the silence. "While you were sleeping I went to see baby."

Michelle closed her eyes and shook her head. "She's so tiny. I saw her this morning and she was having trouble breathing." She looked at Tony and he averted his gaze. "She's not going to make it, is she, Tony?"

Tony continued to look away. "I talked to the doctor. She has a heart defect, Michelle. They can't repair it, she's too small."

"It's my fault, Tony." Michelle said without looking at him. "I didn't love her; I didn't want her. Now she's dying. It's not fair to her. She didn't do anything wrong. Why does she have to die so I can be punished?"

"Michelle, stop! This isn't punishment." Tony said emphatically. He turned her face toward his. "Honey, this happens sometimes. We've been lucky so far. Our other kids are healthy. No one is blaming you. You're a wonderful mother, Michelle. Don't beat yourself up over this."

Michelle nodded but without conviction. "Maybe we should go and see her." Michelle suggested. Tony agreed and eased himself out of the bed. He reached out to help Michelle who was surprisingly unsteady.

"Are you okay?" He asked her as he helped her into her robe.

"I guess it's all the drugs they gave me. I still feel a little dizzy." She suddenly remembered her outburst earlier that day. She put her hand to her forehead, squeezed her eyes closed and shook her head. "Oh, God! I made such a fool of myself this morning. I said some terrible things to Father Marty. He'll probably never forgive me. I even yelled at Vanessa and she's been so wonderful to me over the last few days. She and your mother were in the delivery room with me."

"Don't worry about it, Michelle. They both understand and neither one of them took it personally. They understand how much stress you've been under." He put his arm around her waist to steady her and they walked together toward the intensive care nursery.

They were just a few steps down the hall when they saw Dr. Snyder. "Mr. and Mrs. Almeida," he said, "I was on my way to talk to you."

"Good news, I hope." Michelle said optimistically.

Dr. Snyder looked down and shook his head. "I wish I had good news. I wanted you to come and see your baby. Her heart is getting weaker and weaker and I thought you would like to spend some time with her." They all knew that the end of the sentence was 'before she dies' but the doctor left it unsaid. "We've moved her into a private family area so you can have some quiet time alone with her. If there are any family members or clergy you want to have with you, they're welcome to join you."

Dr. Snyder led them into a softly lit room. The room was a strange dichotomy of home and hospital. There was overstuffed furniture and fussy window treatments but all of the hospital equipment was there, too. Maria lay in a small bassinette still connected to all of the tubes and monitors. The monitor above her beeped in time with the erratic rhythm of her heart and the ventilator that was breathing for her made a hissing sound as it forced air into her lungs. Celeste was tucking a small pink blanket around Maria doing her best to hide all of the tubes and wires. She pulled a rocking chair close to the bassinette and asked Michelle if she wanted to sit down.

Michelle sat down while Tony stood behind her, his hand on her shoulder. "Would it be okay if I held her? I'd like her to know how much we love her." She asked looking back and forth from the nurse to the doctor.

"Of course," Dr. Snyder told her. He lifted the baby from the bassinette and set her into Michelle's waiting arms taking care not to disturb any of the tubes or wires. Tony knelt down next to Michelle and held Maria's tiny hand between his thumb and forefinger.

"We'll leave you alone." Dr. Snyder told them. "If you need to speak with me, pick up the phone over there. It rings the nurses' station and they'll find me."

Tony and Michelle thanked him absently and continued to stare at their child. They cooed quietly at her and told her they loved her. Tony called Father Marty and asked him to come back to the hospital to baptize Maria. Tony and Michelle watched as he poured a drop of Holy Water on Maria's head. Michelle remembered her other children screaming when Father Marty did the same thing to them but Maria never moved.

Periodically one or the other of them would look up at the heart monitor and notice that it was slower and more erratic than before. As her heartbeat continued to slow Tony leaned down and kissed Maria's forehead. "Sweet Pea," he whispered, "Mommy and Daddy will love you forever. We'll never forget the time we spent with you; it will always be precious to us and so will you."

They watched the monitor as the heartbeat finally stopped. Michelle leaned into Tony and they held Maria between them. The monitor alarm sounded at the nurses' station and Dr. Snyder was alerted. He came quickly into the room and gently pressed a stethoscope to Maria's chest. He was so tall that he almost had to bend in half to reach her. Tony and Michelle watched him expectantly. He seemed to listen forever before he stood to his full height and closed his eyes. "I'm sorry." He whispered confirming what Tony and Michelle already knew. Silently he took the ventilator tubing from Maria's mouth and removed all of the monitor leads and IV lines while Michelle continued to hold her. He gently tucked the pink blanket back around her. "I'll leave you alone. Take as much time as you want."

Michelle stood up and lifted the baby up so that Maria's cheek rested against her own. Tony walked behind her and put his arms around her. They stood like that for a long time before Tony finally let go and stepped in front of Michelle. "Honey, it's time to go."

"Oh, no Tony." She said, her voice quivering. "No, don't make me leave her. I can't…I can't do it. I can't leave her here."

"Michelle," Tony said in his most gentle tone. "We have three kids at home who need us. We can't help Maria any more. I'm not asking you to forget her. I'm asking you to consider Sophie and Joe and Dess. They've been through more in the last few days than children their age should have to go through and they need us. We have to go home and take care of them."

Michelle bit her lower lip as tears streamed down her face. She kissed Maria again and Tony took Maria from her. He kissed her and laid her tenderly in the bassinette. Tony and Michelle stood hand in hand for a moment saying their final goodbyes and then turned and left the room.

_I hope all of you who were waiting for the reunion weren't disappointed. I have about one more chapter (or possibly one chapter and an epilogue) to go. With Christmas just a couple of days away I'm not sure when I will get that finished but I'll do it as soon as possible. _

_By the way, thanks to all of you reviewers. Before submitting this chapter I had 99 reviews! That's almost 30 more than I got for either of my other stories. THANK YOU!!! You guys are awesome._


	21. Home at Last

_Hi everyone! Hope you had a nice Christmas. For part of my Christmas present my husband gave me a '24' calendar. I guess a guy has to be really secure in his relationship to give his wife a calendar with Kiefer Sutherland as Mr. January, March, May, July, September and November and Carlos Bernard as Mr. February. (I can't believe they gave Carlos the shortest month of the year!)_

_Anyway, I finally got a chance to do some writing. I really thought that this would be the last chapter but found that I need one more to wrap it all up. So hope you enjoy and keep reviewing. Thanks again to all of my faithful reviewers and to those of you who have reviewed for the first time._

Chapter 21: Home at Last

The first few days after Tony's return passed in a blur of emotions and activity. Tony and Michelle were elated to be home and safe and together again but grief stricken over the loss of their daughter.

Shortly after Maria died in their arms, Tony and Michelle were escorted out a rear door of the hospital, again to avoid the mob of reporters. Once they were out of the building and on their way to the safe house, the hospital spokesperson met with reporters and gave them the sad update.

The Almeidas moved back into their own home the next day as Jeff DuBose promised. Tony and Michelle weren't surprised when they drove up to their home to find that the reporters were camped out on their front lawn.

"They just don't quit, do they?" Tony said, the exasperation clear in his voice.

Michelle's eyes began to well with tears. "Tony, I can't talk to them right now."

"I know, Babe. I'll deal with it." He told her gently. Tony stopped the car and stepped out. "Okay, here's the way this is going to work." He said in his most no-nonsense voice. "You let me get my family into the house without bothering them and I will come back out and make a statement. If my family is in any way harassed on our way into the house, I will refuse to talk. Are we all clear on that?"

The reporters sighed tacitly and nodded in agreement. They stood back quietly as Tony and Michelle took their children and suitcases from the car and went into the house. True to his word, Tony came out to address the reporters who all shouted questions at him about the mission and his rescue.

Tony held up his hand to silence them. "You all know that information pertaining to the mission and the rescue operation is classified. I can't talk about it. Any information you get is going to come from the government."

"Mr. Almeida, we were led to believe when you were pardoned five years ago that you would no longer be employed by the government. Was that a lie? Have you been working as an agent all of that time?"

"What you were told was correct. I am no longer eligible to be an employee of the US government. I am a private businessman with no ties to the government. Officials of the CIA approached me a month or so ago and asked me to participate in a very delicate operation. I was approached because of my experience and my business dealings in South Korea. I agreed to assist the CIA for this particular mission." Tony told them while at the same time knowing that he was stretching the truth. It was more like I was forced to participate; he thought but couldn't tell the reporters that.

"So are you saying that you have business dealings with terrorists?" A reporter asked.

"No, I'm saying that I do business in South Korea and the CIA needed someone with ties to that country. None of the companies that I do business with had any ties to the terrorists." Tony said.

"Mr. Almeida, how badly are you injured and how did you sustain those injuries?"

"I'm fortunate; I got away with mostly bruises. I did break a couple of ribs and my wrist, but that's all. I'll be fine in a few weeks. The injuries were all sustained at the hands of my captors. None of them occurred during the rescue."

"The CIA spokesman told us that you personally killed Yuen Lim. Is that true and how do you feel about that?"

"It is true. Yuen was holding a gun on one of our commandos. I was able to circle around behind him and take control of the situation. I killed Yuen only when he failed to comply with my command to drop his weapon. He was in the process of turning to fire at me when I returned fire. I killed Yuen in self defense." He stopped for a moment. "You asked how I felt about killing him. The truth is that I feel nothing. It was a situation where I had to kill or be killed. My instinct for self preservation took over. I feel neither sorrow nor joy over that. Many people believe that in such a situation that revenge will make them feel better or happy. The truth is that it really doesn't. It doesn't make me any less angry about what Yuen put me and my family through; it doesn't make me feel like I won. It just allows me to be sure that Yuen will never do the same thing to anyone else ever again. It means that he can never attempt to perpetrate terrorist activity against American citizens ever again. That was the job I set out to accomplish when I agreed to participate in this mission. So from that standpoint, I suppose I feel as if I have done my job."

The reporters continued to shout questions at him but Tony decided that he had answered enough. "Ladies and gentlemen, I've answered a number of questions. I'm going to make a final statement but I won't take any more questions." He paused for a moment and the reporters fell silent. "My family and I have been though an unbelievably difficult experience over the last few days. I'd like to take this opportunity to thank the American people for all of their cards and emails of support for my family and especially for their prayers. I also want to thank them for all of the flowers and expressions of sympathy on the loss of our baby. If my wife and I could, we would thank you each individually. I can't begin to tell you how much all of it means to us. At this time, however, my wife and I would like to appeal to you for privacy. We are burying our child tomorrow and we'd like to do so without finding ourselves on the evening news. If I sound ungrateful, believe me, I'm not. I'm just a father who has suffered the ultimate loss; the loss of a child, and I'm asking you to respect my feelings. Given the same situation, I'm sure most, if not all, of you would feel the same way. Thank you." Tony waved and turned and went back into the house.

Everyone was happy to be home. Joe and Sophie ran outside to play with neighbor children while Michelle and Tony marveled at how resilient the two of them were. While living at the safe house, both children appeared to understand the gravity of the situation and both expressed their fears of never seeing Tony again. But now that Tony was home, it was all forgotten and they went back to being happy kids again.

Tony spoke on the phone with the orthopedic surgeon who, after seeing the x-rays Tony brought back from the Army hospital in Korea, confirmed that surgery would be required to repair the damage. It was Friday and the surgery was scheduled for Monday morning.

Later Friday afternoon, Tony stopped by CTU to sign the transcript of his debrief. Tony followed a young security guard who led him to Brad Hammond's office as if Tony didn't know the way. As he walked through the bullpen, Tony stopped to talk to some former co-workers. Chloe O'Brien ran over to give him a hug and Adam Kaufman excused himself from a meeting to come out and greet Tony. He was heartened to know that so many people cared about his well being but embarrassed by all of the expressions of concern.

Members of the assault team were also there. They, too had to be debriefed and had not been given the courtesy of doing so over the phone as Tony had been. Tony spoke briefly with Juan. Juan had discussed the situation with Pedro and they had decided that Tony needed some time off to recover both physically and mentally from his ordeal. Pedro's son Julio would fly to LA later in the week and manage the office for Tony for the next several weeks until he was ready to come back to work. Juan would stay until Julio arrived. Tony thanked Juan over and over again, grateful to have some time to get his life back together. He promised Juan that he would be back to work in the next two or three weeks but Juan shook his head and told Tony to take the next month off and then they would discuss whether he needed more time or not.

Brad had been notified of Tony's arrival and walked out of his office to meet him in the bullpen. "Tony," he said reaching out to shake his hand. "I'm really happy to see you. I'm glad the rescue was a success and that you're safe." For once Brad sounded sincere. As they walked to his office, Brad quietly offered his condolences to Tony and Michelle for their loss. "Come into my office. Your paperwork is in there. We'll get this over with as quickly as possible. I'm sure your family wants you home."

Tony agreed and sat down in a chair across the desk from Brad. Brad appeared to want to be friendlier than he had been in the past but Tony wasn't interested in Brad's friendship. He appreciated Brad's sincerity but considered it to be too little, too late. Brad brought him into a poorly thought out mission that nearly cost him his life. If it hadn't been for his father-in-law, he would be dead right now and he was relatively sure that Brad wouldn't have lost much sleep over it.

"Here are four copies of the transcript. You know the drill. One goes in your personnel file, one to Division, one to District and one in the case file."

Tony glanced quickly through the transcript and when he was satisfied that it was accurate he signed each of the copies and handed them back to Brad. "There you go, Brad. That should take care of it." Tony said as he stood to leave.

"Wait Tony, if you can hold on another couple of minutes, I have some other paperwork for you."

"Like what?" Tony asked somewhat mystified and more than a little bit annoyed. He knew how these things worked; once he signed that transcript he should be off the hook.

Brad sat back, laced his fingers together and let his hands rest on his ample belly. "Tony, this country owes you a huge debt of gratitude. You were instrumental in helping us stop the single largest terrorist threat since Stephen Saunders brought the Cordilla virus into the country. Yuen's men told us that the plan was to start shooting down commercial airliners with shoulder fired missiles in order to get Yuen's sons released from prison. Yuen's men in LA were going to travel to major cities all over the US and start shooting down planes. The plan was nearly foolproof, Tony. The flights that had picked out were all routinely booked to capacity so they would kill the maximum number of passengers. They had flight times, escape routes; it was all planned out. We would have had a hell of a time catching up with them." Brad looked down for a moment. "I'm just sorry that we didn't realize what a threat Yuen was to you personally and didn't have better protection on you."

Brad reached into a desk drawer and pulled a sheaf of papers from it. "This is a commendation for meritorious service. Here's a copy for you and one will go in your personnel file."

"Thank you." Tony said quietly as he took the papers. He was less than impressed. He had nearly given his life for this mission and a commendation would never make up for that. He wanted to leave but sensed that Brad had more to say.

"I think you will probably be more impressed with this." Brad said handing him another sheaf of papers. "This is your unconditional pardon from President Prescott. I convinced him that you should never be called on for another mission without your absolute agreement. In other words, Tony, we can ask for your help, but you can say 'no'. I hope if we need you in the future that you will at least consider it. You're a talented agent, Tony. There are times that we really need your expertise."

"Thank you." Tony said again, this time with more conviction. He was grateful to get the unconditional pardon and knew how happy it would make Michelle.

"And finally," Brad continued, "I have this for you." He handed Tony an envelope. "This is hazardous duty pay for the duration of the mission. It starts the day that I presented the mission to you and goes through yesterday when you returned to US soil. Of course, your medical expenses related to any injuries sustained during the mission will be covered. Additionally, you will be paid disability until you are able to go back to your job and you will be paid for your company's losses over the time that you were working for us or in captivity and couldn't conduct any business of your own."

Tony finally smiled. "Thank you, Brad. I didn't expect this. I appreciate it."

Brad stood and Tony did the same. "It doesn't even begin to cover the debt this country owes you."

They shook hands and Brad walked Tony to his office door. Tony was about to leave when he looked back at Brad. "Off the record, Brad, you knew about the rescue mission, didn't you?"

"Why would you think that? What Ian did could be considered treason. I don't tolerate treason as you well know." Brad said his eyes and his tone revealing nothing.

"I don't believe that Ian could have pulled it off behind your back. You're too sharp. Too much information had to come out of this office for you not to notice it."

"You believe what you want to believe, Tony." Brad said smiling slightly but not admitting his knowledge of Ian's plan.

Tony smiled again. "One more thing, did you ever have any real evidence that I was in this country while I was a fugitive?"

This time Brad smiled sheepishly. "Not a shred. It was all a bluff and for the most part, it worked. I know you were in the country, Tony. I suspect you had help from CTU and I would even go so far as to say it was Chloe who helped you, but I never had proof. I didn't even have any circumstantial evidence. I have to hand it to you; you covered your tracks well. Someday let's go out for a couple beers and you can tell me how you did it. I'd love to know."

"Deal." Tony said with a smile.

Maria's funeral was held Saturday morning. Tony and Michelle had arranged a quiet, family funeral in the tiny chapel adjacent to the church with Father Marty officiating. When they arrived, Father Marty greeted them at the door to the chapel and told them that he had to move the funeral to the church. They were stunned when they entered the church, children in tow, to find it nearly filled with their family and friends. They only expected to see Tony's parents and siblings and Michelle's brother Danny. As they looked around they realized that virtually everyone they knew was there. Tony's employees and their old CTU co-workers including Brad Hammond and Jeff DuBose, all of their neighbors and friends from the church, along with the entire assault team that rescued Tony. Father Marty quickly turned the sad occasion into a celebration of the love that Tony and Michelle shared and the lives they had touched. Everyone left smiling and as they exited the church, Tony glanced up into the choir loft where he caught sight of Evan. He smiled and waved at his father-in-law when Michelle was talking to someone else. Tony and Evan had not spoken since they returned from Korea, but obviously someone, probably Ian, had contacted him. Tony hadn't told Michelle of her father's involvement in his rescue yet, but knew he would have to do so soon. He wasn't sure how he was going to broach the subject, but he owed his life to Evan and Michelle needed to know that.

The days were busy but the nights were long for Tony and Michelle. They both found themselves dreading the night and the fears and sadness and sleeplessness that came with the darkness. They wrapped themselves in each other's arms and lay quietly in the dark bedroom. Slowly Tony began to open up and tell Michelle about the call he received from Hutchins. He told her how scared he was that Yuen would hurt her or the kids. He told her about leaving his office building and the trip to Korea and the long hours in captivity. He cried at times and she comforted him as best she could, horrified by all that he had been through. Michelle opened up, too. Telling Tony about how she was the first to realize that he had been kidnapped, her frantic phone calls and life at the safe house.

Monday night after Tony's surgery, the two of them got into bed again, this time mercifully tired and ready for sleep. They curled up together in the middle of the bed and drifted off to sleep quickly. Michelle woke sometime later as Tony shifted position.

"Are you okay?" She asked him sleepily.

"Ya," he told her a pained look crossing his face. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to wake you, Honey."

The look did not go unnoticed. "Is your wrist bothering you?"

"It's throbbing a little. I'll be fine."

"The doctor gave you something for pain. Here," she said getting up, "let me get it for you." Michelle padded silently into the bathroom and turned on the light. Tony lay back listening to her rustling around. She came back and sat on the edge of the bed. "Take these," she instructed him handing him two tablets, "and here's some water."

Tony washed down the tablets and handed the glass back to Michelle. "Thanks, Mom." He said teasing her.

"Apparently you still need a mother." She noted smiling back at him.

He was happy to see her smile. She hadn't smiled much in the last few days and her smile lit up his world. Tony watched as Michelle set the glass back in the bathroom and then went to the closet. "What are you doing?" He asked her.

"Getting another pillow." She told him. She proceeded to gently lift up his arm and tuck the pillow underneath it. "There. Elevating it might make it stop throbbing." She said as she slipped under the covers next to him.

"What would I do without you?" He asked her sincerely. He pulled her close and kissed the top of her head. "I love you so much."

"I love you, too." She said as she rested her head on his chest. They lay quietly for a few minutes before Michelle spoke. "Tony, you never told me what made Hammond change his mind and authorize the rescue mission."

Tony took a deep breath. He wouldn't lie to her, but he wasn't sure he wanted to tell her the truth either.

Michelle sat up propping herself on one arm. "What made him change his mind, Tony?"

"Brad really didn't change his mind and he didn't authorize the mission. Officially he says he didn't know about it, but I think he's lying. I don't think they could have pulled it of without his knowledge. This is a long story, Michelle. Do you really want to hear it now?"

"So who authorized the mission?" She asked sensing that he was holding something back and feeling annoyed that after all they had been through together that he wouldn't tell her the truth.

"No one really 'authorized' it. Ian Calvert called Jack and Chase and they got the assault team and the analysts together."

"Ian Calvert? Why would Ian have risked his career and his retirement to rescue you? You two barely know each other. He was defying a direct order from the President, he could go to prison."

"He was doing it as a favor for a friend of his."

"That's one hell of a favor!" Michelle exclaimed. "Who was the friend?"

"Do you remember stories of an undercover agent in the old Soviet Union in the 1970s code named 'The Tsar'?"

"Yeah, 'The Tsar' was a bedtime story for CIA agents. None of that was real."

"No, actually the stories may have been embellished over the years, but 'The Tsar' was real. He did some pretty impressive stuff as far as intelligence gathering goes." Tony paused. "Well, anyway, Ian was stationed in Eastern Europe in that same period. He got into a couple of sticky situations and both times 'The Tsar' risked his life to pull Ian's bacon out of the fire. When he asked Ian to mount a rescue mission, Ian felt obligated."

"So explain why 'The Tsar' wanted you to be rescued." Michelle said still knowing that Tony was leaving out details.

Tony closed his eyes for a second to collect his thoughts. "Michelle, how well did you know your father? I ...I mean do you know what he did for a living?"

"Why are we talking about my father, Tony?" Annoyance was rising in Michelle's voice. "I haven't seen him in 25 years. Why do you care what he did for a living?"

Tony sighed. There was no easy way to break this to Michelle so he was just going to have to say it. "Your father worked for the CIA, Michelle."

"My father! I don't so, Tony. My father was a drunk. I hardly think he worked for the CIA."

"You're wrong. He did work for the CIA. He worked undercover in the Soviet Union." Michelle was still looking at him like she didn't understand. "Michelle, your father was 'The Tsar'."

Michelle stared at him in disbelief. "Those days in captivity affected your critical thinking skills." She scoffed. "There is no way that my father…" Her sentence trailed off unfinished.

"Think about it, Honey. It all makes sense, doesn't it? That's why he was gone for months at a time. That's also where he developed his problems with alcohol. After he left you and Danny and your Mother, alcohol was all he had left. He eventually got to the point that he could no longer function as an agent. He became a liability to the agency. That's when they cut him loose."

"Tony, this is ridiculous. I'm not sure why, but somebody made up this story and fed it to you and you bought it hook, line and sinker. I'm not going to fall for it. I doubt that my father is still alive. The alcohol must have gotten to his liver by now." She threw herself back onto her pillow and turned away from him.

Tony put his hand on her shoulder. "I know this sounds crazy Michelle, but it's the truth. Your father is still alive and he's been sober for five years. He isn't well. You're right, the alcohol has effected his health. He probably doesn't have more that a few months to live. He also loves you very much."

"Have you actually seen him, Tony?"

"He was in Korea with the assault team. We flew back to LA on the transport together. That gave us a lot of time to talk, Michelle. He's very sorry for what he did to you and your mother and Danny. He understands how angry you are and he doesn't expect you to forgive him, but he wants you to know how much he loves you."

Tears were now falling from Michelle's eyes. "Why are you doing this to me, Tony?"

"Honey, all I'm doing is telling you the truth. Believe me, I don't want to hurt you but you have to know the truth."

"Why did you wait so long to tell me? You've been home for five days. When did you plan to let me in on this little secret?"

"In case you haven't noticed, we've been a little busy. I wanted to tell you, but I had to find the right time. This isn't easy for me either, Michelle. I love you so much, Baby. After all you've been through I hate to have to tell you things that I know are going to hurt you." Tony stroked her hair while they both remained silent. "Michelle, there's something else." Tony started.

Michelle turned to look at him. "What is it?"

"Your father wants to see you. He just wants the opportunity to tell you how really sorry he is for leaving you the way he did. He has no illusions that you will forgive him or that you will want to have any meaningful relationship with him. He just wants to tell you that he's sorry before he dies."

"And you told him that I would?" Michelle asked in an angry tone as she sat up.

"No, I told him I would ask you. I didn't promise him anything."

"Well, you can tell him the answer is 'no'. I will not let that man waltz back into my life after 25 years so he can clear his conscious before he dies. He should have thought about that when my mother died and he didn't even show up for the funeral, let alone to provide any support to Danny and me."

"Michelle, a lot has happened in 25 years. He's a different person than he was then. People change; look at Jack. A few years ago he was one of the coldest CIA agents I'd ever met with no concerns for anyone or anything except getting results. He was a heroin addict. Now the guy could be up for father of the year. What if Kate hadn't given Jack a second chance? Look how happy they are together and what a great family they have. Your father has changed, Michelle. He's sober now and has been for a few years. Give him a chance. I don't think you'll regret it but if he dies without you ever seeing him, you might find that you regret it someday."

"Oh, so you're taking his side in this."

Frustration and anger spilled out into Tony's response. "Honey, he saved my life. What do you expect me to do? If he hadn't approached Ian about rescuing me, you'd have buried both me and Maria on Saturday. Do you realize that?" As soon as he said it Tony wished he could take it back. Michelle threw herself down on the bed sobbing.

"I'm sorry, Baby. That came out wrong. I didn't mean it that way." Tony told her as he stroked her back. "I'm just trying to tell you that I… that we owe Evan a huge debt of gratitude. Jack and Chase both told me that there were no plans for a rescue mission until your father approached Ian about it. They fully intended to let me die. Jack said they were just waiting for instructions as to where to pick up my body. He saved my life, Michelle. I can't force you to see him, but it would mean the world to me if you would agree to it." He squeezed her shoulder for emphasis. Tony lay down beside her, their bodies touching. He could feel her sobs slowly calm to an occasional sniffle. "That's better." He cooed. "Let's try and get some sleep."

Tony awoke the next morning with warm sun streaming through the window and onto his face. He knew that if the sun was high enough in the sky to be shining in his face that he had overslept. He rolled over and looked at the clock: 10:30. He got out of bed, pulled on a bathrobe and trotted down the stairs. He found Michelle was straightening out the family room. Dess was nearby sitting on the floor playing with some trucks that Joe had forgotten to put away the night before.

"Good morning. I'm sorry I overslept. Why didn't you wake me up?"

"I figured that you needed the sleep." Michelle told him without turning to face him.

"So do you." He replied. "I should have gotten up and helped you get the kids off to school." He leaned over and ruffled Dess' hair and then crossed the room so he was next to Michelle.

"It wasn't a problem. Sophie went to school with the Clarks this morning and Kate came over and picked up Joe for preschool. There's coffee in the carafe if you'd like some."

"That would be great. I'll get some." Tony paused. "Look, Michelle, I'm sorry I upset you last night."

"No, Tony. It's me who was wrong. Tell my father that I'll see him. If nothing else I need to thank him for rescuing you. I owe him that."

"Thank you. I'll call him and set something up." Tony pulled Michelle close and kissed her. "I love you, Michelle. I know the last couple of weeks have been hell, but we're going to be alright, Honey. We're going to get past this and be happy again."


	22. A Family Again

Chapter 22: A Family Again

Tony arranged for Evan to stop by their house the next afternoon. Sophie would be in school and Kate agreed to watch Joe for a couple of hours after preschool. The doorbell rang just before one o'clock and Tony found himself unreasonably anxious as he answered it.

"Evan," he said as he opened the door. "Come in. Michelle will be down in a minute." Tony tried to act natural, but his heart was pounding and his stomach churning. He had mixed emotions about this reunion. He felt that Evan deserved to see Michelle after going out on a limb to save his life, but by the same token he didn't want to upset Michelle. She had spent years trying to forget her unhappy childhood and now it was going to be dredged up again. Tony found himself talking just to fill the empty air. "She took our son upstairs to change his clothes. I think he was wearing more of his lunch than he actually ate. And I'm not a lot of help right now." He said indicating the cast on his left wrist. "It's hard enough to change his clothes with two hands."

Evan smiled feeling the same anxiety as Tony. "How is your wrist?"

"Better. I had surgery on Monday. They had to put a pin in it. The surgeon said he is going to have to do at least one more revision but he thinks that it should heal pretty well after that." Tony paused trying to think of something else to say. "Can I take your jacket?"

"That's okay, Tony. I'll hang onto it." He wanted to say that he didn't think he would be there long enough for Tony to bother hanging it up but decided to leave that unsaid.

"Would you like to sit down?" Tony indicated the living room which was situated near the bottom of the stairs. "Can I get you some coffee or iced tea?"

"Coffee would be nice if you have it."

"Sure, I just finished brewing a pot."

Tony walked toward the kitchen leaving Evan alone at the entrance to the living room. He chose a chair that gave him a clear view of the stairs so he could see his daughter as soon as she descended. He looked around and took in his surroundings. The room was warm and well appointed. Pictures of Tony and Michelle and the children and lots of relatives including Michelle's mother, Anne, were everywhere. He turned quickly as he heard footsteps on the stairs. Michelle stopped half way down. She was holding Dess in her arms and he noticed that she involuntarily tightened her hold on the child as if to protect him. Is she protecting the baby or herself, he wondered.

Evan stood; he was holding a bouquet of white roses. They had been Michelle's favorite when she was a little girl. "Shelley," he said softly. "You look wonderful, Sweetheart."

"Thank you," she said just above a whisper.

Evan handed her the flowers. "You used to like white roses, I hope you still do."

"Um…I do. Um…thank you." Was all Michelle could say as she took the flowers. "Let me get a vase."

"I'll do that." Tony said as he came into the room with Evan's coffee. The tension in the room was so thick he could have cut it with a knife but at least Michelle wasn't screaming at Evan. Well, it's a start, Tony thought.

"Who's this little guy?" Evan asked.

"This is John Dessler. Tony nicknamed him Dess."

Evan smiled. "That was my nickname years ago. Do you remember?"

The corners of Michelle's mouth turned upward slightly and she nodded. "Yeah, I do."

"He's adorable. He looks like you." He said as he pushed one of Dess' curls back into place. "I'm so sorry that you lost your baby, Shelley. I know you're both devastated."

"Thank you," Michelle whispered again. "Why…why don't you sit down?" She looked him over and was surprised to see how shabbily he was dressed. She remembered him from her childhood as being so dapper and handsome. The jacket he wore was clean but worn at the elbows and cuffs. He must have been heavier when he bought both the jacket and pants because both were too big for him now. He used suspenders to keep the pants in place. His hair was thin and white. It was cut close but curls near the bottom and around his ears told her that it was due for a trim.

Michelle sat down on a nearby sofa and set Dess down on the floor. Dess toddled away for a moment then came back dragging a plastic bin full of blocks. Michelle and Evan watched in silence as Dess proceeded to dump the blocks noisily on the floor. He sat down, unconcerned that he was being watched, and began to build a block tower.

They both spoke at the same time.

"I need to thank you…"

"Shelley, I want to tell you…"

The both stopped and laughed anxiously. "You first," Michelle said.

Evan hung his head for a moment watching Dess then looked up to meet Michelle's eyes. "Shelley, I want to tell you how sorry I am for all the pain I've caused you and Danny. It's too late for me to tell your mother and I regret that, but I can still tell you and your brother. I'm not here looking for forgiveness. And I'm not here to clear my conscience because I could say 'I'm sorry' for the next hundred years and my conscience would never be clear. I just want you to know that I never wanted to hurt you and I never stopped loving you or Danny. I've always known what I did to you was wrong but I never had the strength to come back and try to make it up to you. So I drank to dull the pain and hoped that it would eventually kill me because death was what I wanted most of all and I didn't have the nerve to do that myself. In the meantime, I let 25 years slip by. Now I sit here and look at you and my grandson knowing how much I've missed and that it didn't have to be that way. I'm so sorry, Shelley." He paused unable to go on. He watched as tears filled his daughter's eyes and was immediately sorry that he had come and caused her more pain. He stood and sighed. "I'm not going to take up any more of your time, Sweetheart. You have your family to tend to. Thank you for letting me stop by. You'll never know how much this means to me. I love you so much, Shelley. You take care of yourself. You have a wonderful husband; I know I don't have to worry about you as long as you two have each other."

Evan looked over at Tony and waved. "Tony, thank you for arranging this. I'll never forget it." Tony started toward him but Evan waved him off. "I can show myself out. Thanks again." Evan turned and started toward the door.

"No, Dad, wait." Michelle said. Her voice was trembling.

Evan closed his eyes to savor the moment. She called him 'Dad'. It had been 25 years since anyone had called him 'Dad' and it sounded so sweet. He used to fanaticize as he walked down the street that he would see Michelle or Danny and they would recognize him and call him 'Dad' but it never happened. Sometimes in his dreams he would see Michelle as a little girl and she would call him 'Daddy' again.

"Please…" Michelle said. "Please don't go yet. Sit down. Maybe you'd like some more coffee." She looked at Tony.

Tony reached for Evan's cup. "Let me get that." He said as he took the cup and saucer and went back into the kitchen.

Evan looked as if he wanted to protest but he didn't; he remained silent as he sat back down. He watched Michelle settle back down on the sofa.

"I need to thank you, Dad, for saving Tony's life. I'm not sure how I would have gone on without him especially after losing our baby. You gave me the greatest gift I've ever been given; you gave me my husband back. Regardless of whatever happened in the past, I'll never be able to thank you enough for bringing Tony back to me."

"I don't deserve that much credit, Shelley. Ian agreed to the plan and Jack and Chase and the others on the assault team risked their lives and pulled it off. Without them, I couldn't have done anything."

"But without you bringing Ian in on it, the assault team never would have formed. No, Dad, you deserve more credit than you're willing to take. Tony and I will always be grateful to you."

Evan smiled and looked down. One of Dess' blocks had fallen near his foot when Dess knocked over one of his block towers. Evan picked up the block and held it out to Dess. "Here you go, Dess. Don't forget this one."

Dess gave Evan a long, shy look before reaching out and taking the block.

"Say 'thank you' to Granddad, John." Michelle told him.

Evan beamed. It had been his dream to be called 'Dad' again but never in his wildest dreams had he ever considered being called 'Granddad'.

Dess put the block on the top of the tower and knocked it over so that it would go in Evan's direction. He smiled a happy grin as Evan picked up some of the blocks and handed them back to him. The next thing Evan knew, Dess was building towers right at his feet and giving him blocks to add to the top.

"I think you've made a friend." Tony told him. "Dess doesn't warm up to everyone. He's pretty shy."

Evan reveled in the time spent with his daughter and grandson. He started asking questions about Tony and Michelle's other children and Danny's children. Time passed quickly and before they realized it, it was 3:30. Dess found his way up onto Evan's lap and started to rub his eyes and yawn. "Uh-oh. I think somebody needs a nap." Michelle cooed. "Come here, Tiger." She said as she reached for him. "Give your grandfather a kiss." Dess hugged and kissed Evan who felt tears fill his eyes.

"Now a kiss for Daddy." She said as she held him out to Tony.

"Have a good nap, Big Guy." Tony told Dess as he yawned again and put his head on Michelle's shoulder. He looked at his watch and then at Michelle. "Honey, I'm going to pick up Joe from the Bauer's and then I'll get Sophie at school. I'll be back in a half hour."

"I should be going." Evan said as he stood up. "Thank you for having me. It was a wonderful afternoon."

"Don't you want to meet your other grandchildren?" Michelle asked him.

"I don't want to be a bother, Shelley. I'm sure you have to help with homework and you have to get dinner."

"You're not a bother. Please stay and meet Joe and Sophie. They deserve to know their grandfather."

"I'd like to meet them." He said sincerely.

Tony leaned over and kissed Michelle. "I won't be long." He told her. "I'll see you when I get back." He told Evan.

A half an hour later Tony pulled his SUV back into the driveway. Michelle met Sophie and Joe at the door with kisses for each of them. "Mommy, I got a 100 on my spelling test!" Sophie told her happily.

"Good job!" Michelle exclaimed. "I knew you could do it."

"Whose car is in the driveway?" Joe asked

"Someone I'd like you to meet." Michelle told them as she led them into the living room. "This is my father, your grandfather."

"We already have a grandfather." Joe stated matter of factly.

"You can have two grandfathers, Joe." Sophie told him authoritatively. "I'm Sophie and this is Joe." She told Evan. "If you're our grandfather, why haven't we ever met you before?"

"Anna Sophia!" Michelle said sharply. "That isn't polite."

"No, Shelley, it's a good question." Evan turned his attention to Sophie and Joe. "Sometimes, adults do things that aren't very smart. I let a lot of time pass without seeing your mother, so I never had a chance to meet you. I finally came to my senses and decided it was time to meet you guys and your mother was sweet enough to agree to see me and let us meet."

"Well it's nice to meet you." Sophie told him. "Are you going to stay for dinner?"

"Thank you for asking, Sophie but I can't stay. I left my dog at home and I have to give him his dinner and let him out."

"Maybe you could come for dinner Saturday night." Michelle suggested. "I can call Danny and see if he and the kids can come over. I'll make sure Tony does the cooking." She said with a smile.

"Yeah, and maybe you could bring your dog with you so we could meet him, too." Joe said, his eyes dancing with excitement.

Evan smiled at Michelle. "I'd love to come for dinner. Thank you, Shelley, for giving me my family back." He stepped toward her and put his arms around her. She returned his hug and kissed him gently on the cheek. Evan shook hands with Tony and kissed Joe and Sophie goodbye and, with a promise to see them again on Saturday, left the house a far richer man than he had entered it just a few hours earlier.

Evan Dessler died eight months later with Michelle and Danny each holding one of his hands. He lived on his own for the first few months after he reunited with his children but moved in with Michelle and Tony when his illness progressed to the point that he could no longer fully care for himself. He began to depend on Michelle more and more as his health continued to decline until he was completely bedridden.

Before he became completely incapacitated he and Michelle talked at length about his days with the CIA. She was fascinated by his exploits and after listening to them for a few weeks decided to start writing them down and compile them into a book. Since the fall of the Soviet Union, the information was no longer classified and she knew it would make an incredible story. Evan resisted when Michelle first brought up the idea of writing his memoirs but eventually relented. He agreed to it only if all of the profits would be put into a trust fund for all of his grandchildren for education.

Michelle planned a quiet funeral for her father. A number of his old CIA cronies attended and the assault team that rescued Tony served as pall bearers. After much consideration, Michelle and Danny decided to bury Evan next to their mother. Despite the fact that they had been divorced, they both continued to love each other until their deaths. Thus it seemed appropriate to their children to bury them together.

After the burial service, Michelle and Tony had a small luncheon at their home. Most everyone had gone and Michelle was washing dishes with Tony's mother when Danny came into the kitchen to say goodbye. "Michelle, the kids and I have to be going. You did a beautiful job planning the funeral and the luncheon. It was really special." He said as he hugged and kissed her. "But I shouldn't be surprised, because you're really special."

Michelle smiled and looked away, embarrassed by the compliment. "Thank you."

"I should be thanking you." he told her. "You took great care of Dad and you got us all back together. I hated him for so many years, Michelle. When you asked me to bring the kids and come to dinner and see him I thought you had lost your mind. I only did it because you had been through so much with Tony being kidnapped and then losing the baby that I thought I'd humor you. I promised myself that for your sake I'd be civil, but I was seething when I first walked in that night. Now I'm so grateful that we had the last few months together. I'm glad I got to see him in a different light. I'm glad I got a chance to understand him. And without you it never would have happened."

"I didn't want to see him at first either. I only did it because he saved Tony's life and I thought I owed him. I'm like you; I planned to be civil, but nothing more. Once he was here, I realized how much I still loved him. I was angry with him, but I loved him. I watched him with the kids and I knew I had to have him back in my live, if only for a little while."

"And you and Tony are amazing." Danny told her. "I don't know how you did it. After all you had been through, taking care of Dad was the last thing you two should have had to do, but you never complained. I wish I could've been more help."

"You did what you could. You were here almost every weekend."

"Well, whatever I did, it wasn't enough. I hope you two can find some time for each other now." Danny hugged her again and said goodbye.

Michelle turned back to the task of washing dishes while Tony's mother dried them and put them away. "Michelle," Maria said as she dried a large pot. "Danny's right. You and Antonio haven't had any time together in a long time. Emilio and I will watch the children for a few days. Why don't you two plan a long weekend? Thanksgiving is coming up; you could go that weekend."

Michelle thought for a moment. A weekend alone would be wonderful. The last year had been an incredible test for their relationship. But after all they had been through together, Michelle felt that she and Tony were closer emotionally than they had been at any time in their relationship. They fell asleep every night wrapped in each others arms and awoke a warm and cozy tangle of arms and legs. Physically, however, their relationship had waned. She could count on both hands the number of times they had made love in the last year. Each time had been loving and enjoyable but hardly could be described as passionate. Danny and Maria were both right; Tony and Michelle needed some time together. Michelle envisioned a weekend at the beach house and smiled.

Michelle stopped washing dishes and looked back at her mother-in-law. "Are you sure you wouldn't mind watching the kids for a weekend?"

Maria smiled. "We love watching them."

"That's a lot of work, are you sure?"

"Michelle, they're angels. They're no trouble at all. It's settled. You two make reservations somewhere for the weekend after Thanksgiving and we'll come over and stay with the children."

Michelle dried her hands on the nearest towel and threw her arms around her mother-in-law. "Thank you! You and Pop are the best. What would we do without you?"

_Okay, so I lied. I told you that this would be the last chapter but this chapter ended up being longer than I thought it would be. So…I still need to write one more chapter to finish the story. Stay with me, please. One more chapter, that's it, I swear! _


	23. The BeachEpilogue

_Okay, this is it: the last chapter! I've had fun with this story, but I feel like I've been writing it forever. I got the idea for it at the beach the last week in August and have been writing it ever since. _

_When I originally outlined the story I didn't plan to put in the reunion between Evan and Michelle or Michelle and Tony's trip to the beach house, but so many of you mentioned those events in reviews that I decided to revise the story and include them. So here is Tony and Michelle's long awaited weekend alone. I gave the story an overall "PG" rating but this chapter is pure "R" no doubt about it. If you've read my stories before you know that my love scenes are graphic but, I think, tasteful (If it isn't tasteful, let me know and I'll edit it.) So, if you aren't into love scenes, scroll down to the "Epilogue"._

_Thanks again to all of my readers. If you haven't reviewed, please click the submit review button and do so. I accept anonymous reviews. If you've been reviewing right along, how about one more for old time sake. (I can't believe how many reviews I've gotten for this story. You guys are the greatest!)_

Chapter 23: The Beach

Tony and Michelle kissed the children goodbye and told them for the fifth time to be good for their grandparents.

"The kids will be fine; it's you two that I'm worried about." Tony's father teased them. "Now, go!" He said as he hugged and kissed Michelle.

"Thanks Pop." She said returning his kiss.

Tony shook his father's hand and they exchanged knowing glances. "Have a good time." His father said as he raised his eyebrows slightly.

Tony looked sheepishly at the ground. "Thanks," he said. He and Michelle had been married almost nine years and had had four children together but it still embarrassed him when his father made even the most subtle reference to sex.

The two climbed into their SUV and pulled out of the driveway. The kids waved wildly and threw kisses as they shouted "'bye, Mommy! 'bye Daddy!" from the front porch. Spencer, who the Almeida's "inherited" after Evan's death, wagged his tail and barked his goodbye. Tony and Michelle waved back until the children and the house were out of view.

They looked at each other and smiled. "Four days to ourselves!" Tony said happily. "It's like a dream come true."

"I know. I love the kids but sometimes it's nice to get away for a couple of days."

They drove along listening to music and chatting about nothing in particular. Tony looked over at Michelle and noticed her eyes shining as she gazed out the window at the California coastline. "What are you smiling at?" He asked her.

"The view. No matter how many times we drive along the coast, the view still takes my breath away; it's spectacular."

Tony took his eyes off the road for a moment and gave Michelle a long look. "The view from here is pretty spectacular, too."

Michelle looked away, as always, embarrassed by the compliment.

"Why do you do that?" He asked her as he reached over and squeezed her hand. "Why do you blush when I tell you that you're beautiful? I've been telling you that for ten years; I'd think you'd be used to it by now."

"I think your eyesight must be failing. I've got a lot more gray hair and wrinkles than I had ten years ago."

"I don't see them. You look the same as the first day I ever laid eyes on you and you stole my heart." He told her truthfully. "By the way, how long did it take you to pick out that outfit this morning? Did you stand in front of your closet and say 'Gee, what can I wear that will turn Tony on so much that he can barely keep his mind on the road?'"

"You like this?" Michelle asked with a smile. She was wearing a tight black sweater with a wide, oval neckline and three quarter length sleeves and a khaki colored denim skirt that fell to an inch or two above her knees. Her legs were bare and she slipped her feet into a pair of brown leather, open-toed slides. She hadn't thought of the outfit as sexy.

"Like it! It's taking every bit of my self control not to pull off the road, drag you into the back seat and make love to you right here."

Michelle reached over and put her hand on his knee then slowly slid it up his thigh. He exhaled audibly and his whole body tensed up as she cupped her hand around him and squeezed gently. "So what's stopping you from doing that?" She asked in a low, sexy voice.

"Oh God, Michelle." He whispered and glanced over at her. She gave him an innocent smile as if she was doing nothing.

"That didn't answer my question." She told him as she tightened her grip again. "What's stopping you?"

"Mostly the fact that my forty year old body doesn't fit in a back seat the way it did when I was eighteen."

"Oh, then maybe I should let you concentrate so we can get to the beach house in one piece." Michelle said as she took her hand away slowly, letting her fingertips graze his thigh. He closed his eyes for a second and his body relaxed.

"You're a tease." He told her with a seductive look. "You know, two can play at that game." He reached over and put his hand above her knee and gently caressed her bare thigh. Michelle put her head back and closed her eyes as she bit her lower lip. "Oh, you like that?" He asked her.

Without answering Michelle separated her legs just a little further allowing Tony's hand to slide to the top of her thigh. He could feel the heat radiating from her body and it turned him on even more. Michelle groaned out loud as he ran his fingers along her lace panties.

"Ah, let me guess, the black lace panties. Am I right?"

"Exactly," she told him without opening her eyes.

He slowly drew his hand back, ran it up over her stomach and slipped it under her sweater. "Then I'm going to guess that you're wearing the matching bra, too." He said as his hand encircled her breast.

"You're good at this game." She told him breathlessly.

"Do I get a prize?"

"Yeah, when we get to the beach house you get to take those articles of clothing off of me."

"Promise?" Tony asked as he raised his eyebrows.

"Guaranteed."

They both smiled and settled back in silence for the rest of the drive. The level of excitement and desire between them was almost palpable. And by the time Tony turned into the mile long private drive back to the house both of them wondered how they would ever make it inside with their clothes on.

Tony parked the car in front of the house. "Why don't you go inside and pour some champagne while I get the bags and take them back to our room."

"Sounds good," Michelle said as she fumbled for the house keys that had fallen to the bottom of her purse.

Tony opened the back door and pulled out two small overnight bags. Neither of them bothered to pack much. Tony's bag consisted of a robe, a couple pairs of boxer shorts and clothes to wear home on Tuesday. Michelle's bag also contained an outfit for the return trip and a variety of lacy lingerie.

Tony followed Michelle into the house and dropped their bags off in the bedroom. Michelle was in the kitchen. She took two champagne flutes from a rack above the bar where they were hanging upside down and set them on the counter. Then she proceeded to open the refrigerator.

"There's an awful lot of champagne and not a lot of food in here." She commented.

"That was my plan." Tony said as he reached past her and grabbed a bottle of champagne. "I'll give you just enough food so you can keep up your strength and enough alcohol to make me irresistible." He popped the cork and filled the two glasses.

"You're always irresistible." She told him as she took a glass from him.

"To us," Tony said as he raised his glass and touched it to hers.

They both took deep drinks from the glasses then leaned in for a long passionate kiss. They broke the kiss and finished off the first glass of champagne. They set their glasses on the counter and began kissing again. This time their hands were free to explore each others body. The kisses became hotter and hotter as Tony began to back Michelle out of the kitchen and toward the bedroom. In the process of negotiating the necessary turns, he backed her into the dining room table.

Their progress toward the bedroom momentarily halted, Tony and Michelle took advantage of the fact that their movement had stopped and pulled each other closer. Michelle reached up and caressed Tony's face and ran her hands through his hair. Tony let his hands slide down Michelle's sides and over her hips. As they retraced the course back up her body, Tony's hands slipped under her sweater. Michelle instinctively raised her arms so he could lift the sweater up over her head. Tony dropped the sweater onto the table and began gently kneading her breasts. He reached behind her and opened the clasp on her bra, pushed the bra off of her shoulders and arms and let it drop to the floor. Now that he was touching her bare breasts his level of excitement rose to a fevered pitch.

At this point they were kissing wildly and moaning out loud. Their mouths and tongues were kissing whatever bit of skin they could reach: lips, cheeks, necks, foreheads. It didn't matter.

Tony ran his hands down Michelle's hips and legs until he reached the bottom of her skirt. He put his hands under her skirt and drew them up the backs of her legs allowing the tips of his fingers to curl around inside of her thighs. He pushed the black lace panties aside and fondled her urgently while she groaned into his mouth. This only fueled his excitement. He reached up further and pulled down her panties and then pushed them down her legs until she was able to kick them off and step out of them.

Michelle was as excited as Tony. Their pelvises were pressed close together and she could feel how aroused he was. She had her hands behind him caressing his bottom and pulling him against her. She brought both hands around to the front and began to open his belt and pants. Seconds later his pants were around his ankles and she pushed down his boxer shorts. Michelle wrapped her hand around him and stroked him roughly.

Tony closed his eyes, his mouth open panting loudly. It took him a second to regain his composure, but when he did, he cupped his hands under Michelle's bottom and lifted her onto the table. Tony pushed his body between her legs and she wrapped her legs around his hips and directed him inside of her. They both let out long, loud groans and found each others mouth. They were one now and their hips pounded out a frantic rhythm.

"Aaah, Michelle," Tony cried out loudly. "Oh God, Baby!" He whispered dropping his head and resting it on her shoulder and gasping for breath. "That was incredible." He raised his head and rested his forehead against hers. "You're amazing."

Michelle angled her head so they could kiss again. "Can we continue this in the bedroom?"

Without a word, Tony stepped out of his pants that still lay in a heap around his ankles and kicked them aside. He again cupped his hands under her bottom and lifted her up. Michelle helped him by putting her arms tightly around his neck and her legs around his waist. They continued kissing as Tony carried her to the bedroom.

The November sun, low in the sky, shone brightly through the shear curtains on the French doors and onto the bed in the center of the room. The doors opened onto a patio surrounded by a low wall. Thirty yards past the wall the Pacific Ocean lapped the sand. The breeze was brisk and the air salty. The repetitive sound of the surf added to the romantic atmosphere of the room.

Tony sat on the bed with Michelle on his lap. "Hey, where are you going?" Tony asked her as she slipped off his lap and stood up.

"I just thought I'd take this off." She told him as she seductively stripped herself of her khaki skirt.

Tony stood up and took her face in his hands. "God, you're beautiful. I love you so much. I'm the luckiest guy in the world."

Michelle smiled. "I think I'm pretty lucky, too." She said as she kissed him. "But you still have some clothes on, so let's fix that problem." She unbuttoned his shirt and pushed it off of his shoulders. She let her hands slide down his muscular arms. "How about if I turn down the bed and you go and get that champagne from the kitchen."

"It sounds like a plan." Tony told her as he kissed her lightly and left to retrieve the champagne.

Tony returned from the kitchen carrying a tray with the champagne bottle and glasses and a plate of large, ripe strawberries. Michelle was sitting on the bed wearing a white lace camisole and matching lace and satin boxer shorts. She had taken her hair down and it fell loosely around her shoulders. Her pale skin and white lingerie were a stark contrast to the crimson satin sheets that covered the bed.

Tony set the tray on the nightstand and handed Michelle a glass of champagne. Still standing he picked up a strawberry by its stem and held it just above Michelle's mouth. She tipped her head back, licked her lips and bit into the strawberry just below the stem. A drop of the juice rolled down her lip. Tony wiped it away with the tip of his finger then held his finger near her mouth. Michelle licked his finger seductively. Tony dropped the stem onto the tray, pulled back the sheet and slipped into bed beside Michelle. She set her glass on the nightstand and climbed back onto his lap.

"Now, where were we?" She asked him.

"Right about here, I think." He told her as he began kissing her again.

The earlier urgency now past, it was replaced by a quiet, tender passion. They kissed slowly and caressed lovingly; in no hurry for this feeling to end. Tony eventually laid Michelle on the bed and took off her camisole. He kissed her face and her neck and her body as she writhed beneath him. He enjoyed the softness of her skin as he worked his way down her body. When he reached the satin shorts, he pulled them down her legs. Then he started at her feet and began kissing his way up her legs. She moaned loudly as he pushed her legs apart and kissed and licked her. She begged him for more and moved her hips against him. He felt her body begin to tense as she let out a long groan. In one motion he slid quickly up her body and thrust himself deep inside of her. At the same moment he felt her body nearly convulse beneath his.

Moments later they lay still; both completely spent and trying to catch their breath. The sound of the ocean pounding the shore and the sweet, salty smell of the air wafted through an open window. The moment was perfect and they reveled in it. They wanted it to go on forever. The love they shared consumed them. It was eternal; nothing would ever change that. Their relationship was marked by so much pain, but it paled in comparison to the many good and happy times. They were stronger because of the pain and they used that strength to move forward.

**EPILOGUE: **One Year Later

"Daddy, put the star on top and then the Christmas tree will be all decorated." Joe said anxiously.

"Yeah Daddy, put the star on." Dess repeated. At two-and-a-half, he adored his big brother and repeated almost everything Joe said.

"Okay, guys. Here's the star." Tony reached to the top and placed the star on the highest branch.

"Yea! It's finished." Joe and Dess cried.

"It's not finished yet." Sophie told them. "We have to put our special ornaments on."

"Michelle," Tony called up the steps. "Where are the family ornaments?"

"I've got them right here." She called back to him. "Can you come get them, Tony? I'm in the middle of something."

Tony trotted up the steps and descended with a box. "Here we go. Let's see what we've got here." He opened the box and began pawing through tissue paper. "Here's Mommy and Daddy's ornament." He said as he took an ivory china ornament shaped like two doves with a heart between them. "Tony and Michelle" and the date they were married was printed in gold leaf on the heart.

"You put that one on the tree." Sophie directed him.

The children waited patiently while Tony found the next ornament. "Okay, Sophie, here's your. Be careful." He handed her a china teddy bear with her name painted on it."

Sophie proudly carried it to the tree and hung it on the highest branch that she could reach. "How does it look? Is that a good spot?" She asked.

"It's perfect." Tony assured her.

"Me next!" Joe told Tony. "I get to put mine on next."

"That's right." Tony said as he handed Joe the train ornament with his name on it. "Be careful, Joe. You don't want to break that."

Joe showed the ornament to Dess. "See, it's mine. It says 'Joe' on it." Like Sophie, Joe found the highest branch he could reach to display his ornament. Tony held his breath while Joe handled the fragile ornament.

"Good job." Tony praised him.

"My turn! My turn!" Dess sang as he jumped up and down in front of Tony.

"Okay, Buddy." Tony took a sailboat ornament out of the box and held it in front of Dess.

"Look," he told Joe. "It say 'Dess'."

"No, it doesn't." Joe informed him. "It says 'John'. That's your real name. That's what Mommy calls you."

Dess reached for the ornament but Tony held it just out of his reach. "How about if I help you with this?"

"No!" Dess said emphatically. "I do it myself!"

"I don't know, Dess," Tony said shaking his head. "I think I better help you."

"Joe do it!" Dess told him as he pouted.

Tony thought for a second then leaned over and whispered in his ear, "If you let me help you, you can put it up higher than Sophie and Joe did."

Dess' face lit up. "Okay!" He said as he reached out to Tony.

Tony picked him up and helped him hang the ornament near the top of the tree.

"Hey Dad, that's not fair!" Joe protested. "He can't reach up there by himself."

"Up until last year I held you up near the top, too. He's still pretty little, Joe. Let's give him a break." Tony said as he tousled Joe's hair.

Tony set Dess on the floor and went back to the ornament box. "Sophie, why don't you put Maria's ornament on the tree." Tony handed Sophie the delicate china angel.

"Maria isn't here. Why does she get an ornament?" Joe asked.

"Maria isn't here to celebrate Christmas with us, Joe, but she's still part of our family." Tony told him.

"Maria celebrates Christmas in Heaven with Granddad. Right, Daddy?" Sophie said.

"That's right, Sweetie." It had been more than a year and a half since Maria died and Tony could still feel tears well up when he thought of her.

"Does Santa Claus know to take her presents there?" Joe asked.

"I think so, Buddy." Tony said looking away and trying to keep his emotions in check.

Like most boys his age, Joe's mind quickly changed gears. "Where is Spencer's ornament?" He asked.

"Here it is." Tony said holding up an ornament shaped like a dog bone with Spencer's name on it. "Would you like to hang this one up?"

"Sure!" Joe told him as he took the ornament and hung it carefully on a low branch. "I'll hang it here so Spencer can see it."

"'nother one! 'nother one!" Dess, who wanted a chance to hang another ornament, begged Tony.

"That's it, Buddy. We're all done. That was the last one."

"No we're not." Michelle said as she came down the stairs. "Here, John. You and Daddy can hang this last one."

Michelle handed Tony a new ornament. "I didn't know you got one already." Tony said taking the ornament from her. It was china like the others and was shaped like a rag doll. Across the doll's skirt was painted "Chloe". Tony picked Dess up again and they hung the ornament on the tree.

"There, Sweet Pea," Michelle said holding four month old Chloe up so she could see the tree. "Your first Christmas tree."

"Okay guys," Tony said as he came back with a camera. "We need a picture for our Christmas card. Sophie, you sit over there. Joe, kneel next to her. Good, that looks good. Now Dess," he said as he took Dess' hand. "You sit here in front of Joe. Good job, Buddy. You need to stay there while I take the picture." Tony started to back up.

"Here Sophie," Michelle said as she knelt next to her. "You hold Chloe. Make sure you support her head, Honey."

"I know how to hold her, Mom." Sophie said confidently.

Michelle stood and backed up near Tony. "Okay, Dad will count to three then everybody say 'cheese'."

"Wait," Joe said. "We need Spencer. We can't have a family picture without Spencer."

"Okay," Michelle said. "Spencer!" She called. Spencer got up from the sunny spot near the window where he was sleeping and casually walked to Michelle. "Here, Spence. Sit here." She got him to sit next to the boys.

"Now I think we're ready." Tony said. "On three, ready? One, two, three."

The room was filled with a chorus of "Cheese!" and the flash lit up the room. "Hold still. Let me take a couple more and then we'll pick the best one." Tony took a total of five pictures before the kids and Spencer got restless.

Michelle took Chloe from Sophie and the three children ran off to play with Spencer in tow. "So what do you think of that tree, Chloe?" Michelle asked as she held the baby up. Chloe's brown eyes were bright as she looked at the lights.

Tony came close and kissed her chubby cheek. "You were Mommy and Daddy's Christmas present last year, Pumpkin. Did you know that?" She smiled brightly at him as it she understood.

Tony and Michelle looked at each other and laughed remembering clearly last Christmas night. Sophie and Joe and Dess were finally in bed and the two of them were exhausted. Tony was getting ready for bed when Michelle came into the bedroom with a present in her hand. She handed it to Tony. "Merry Christmas," she told him. She looked happy but wasn't quite smiling.

"What's this?" Tony asked as he tore the wrapping paper off. He read the box and looked back at Michelle. "A pregnancy test kit? Are you…"

"I think so." She said biting her lower lip trying to stifle a smile. "I'm two weeks late."

Tony thought for a moment. If she was two weeks late, she would have had to conceive four weeks ago. "It happened at the beach?" He phrased it as a question.

Michelle nodded. "I bought the kit last week but I've been too nervous to do it."

"You want to do it now?" Tony asked hesitantly. As much as they both wanted one more child they were desperately afraid. Losing Maria had been almost unbearable and Dr. Hild had warned them that it would not be unusual for the same problems to occur in a subsequent pregnancy. They both feared that losing another child would be more than they could bear.

Michelle nodded again. He handed her the kit and she went into the bathroom. Tony paced in front of the closed door not quite sure how he felt. The door finally opened and Michelle stood smiling and holding out the positive result for him to see. He couldn't help but smile back. He wrapped his arms around her, lifted her feet off the ground and turned her around in a circle as he kissed her.

"You're going to call the doctor tomorrow, right?" Michelle nodded. "We will do exactly what she tells us. You will follow her instructions to the letter, right?" She nodded again. "Michelle, I don't care if you have to be on bedrest for the next nine months. We'll do whatever it takes. My mom will help, so will Vanessa and my nieces, the neighbors, our friends. Maybe Julio can come and help me at work so I can spend more time at home. We're going to have a healthy baby this time, Michelle. I just know it."

Michelle went into labor early again but this time the doctors were able to control it. She spent the next couple of months at home, on bedrest and, as Tony predicted their friends and family were all there to help. Chloe weighed just over 5 pounds when she was born a month early and she screamed heartily as she took her first breath. Michelle smiled as she watched Tony cut the umbilical cord. The nurses wrapped up the new baby and handed her to Tony who triumphantly placed her in Michelle's arms. They named her Chloe Paula. Each of their children was named for someone important in their lives. Chloe was named for their colleague Chloe O'Brien who had helped in Tony's escape to Argentina and who, almost single handedly, arranged his trip back to the US after Sophie was born. The middle name Paula was in memory of Paula Schaefer who worked briefly at CTU before the bombing and gave her life trying to stop the nuclear threat. They hadn't worked with her long, but she left a lasting impression on both Tony and Michelle and they wanted to honor her memory.

Michelle sat on the couch near the tree. Chloe was hungry and starting to fuss. "Are you always hungry?" Michelle asked her as she opened her blouse. Chloe latched on and sucked hungrily on her mother's breast. Once she settled in her gaze focused on the shiny lights and ornaments on the Christmas tree.

Tony stood near the tree and took down the ornament with their names on it. He studied it closely and looked at the date. "Ten years!" He said. "Can you believe it?"

Michelle looked down at their newest child. "It's been an eventful ten years. And it's been wonderful." She said with a smile.

"Oh ya, let's see. I've been shot, convicted of treason and kidnapped. Do I know how to show a girl a good time, or what?" Tony laughed as he plopped down on the sofa next to Michelle still holding the ornament.

"I'm serious, Tony. I know we've had some bumps in the road…"

"Bumps in the road!" Tony interrupted. "More like boulders, Michelle."

"Okay, so maybe we've had a rougher go of it than some other couples we know, but I stand by what I said before. We've had some bad times, but the good times have been great. What would you change, Tony? Because as soon as you change one thing everything else changes, too. Everything is interconnected." She paused for a moment and Tony gave her a skeptical look. "Follow my logic here. If you hadn't been kidnapped, you would have never met my father and convinced me to see him again. Seeing Dad after all those years gave me a whole new perspective. In a way it changed my life. Not to mention that if I hadn't reconciled with him, your mother and I wouldn't have been washing dishes together after the funeral luncheon and she wouldn't have offered to watch the kids so that we could go to the beach. If we hadn't gone to the beach we wouldn't have had Chloe. Would you prefer not to have her?"

Chloe, who had been focused on the tree, was now watching Michelle and Tony. Her eyes went back and forth between them. She stopped sucking for a moment as if she was waiting for Tony's answer.

"I love her to death, Michelle. Of course I want her."

"All I'm saying Tony is that you can't take away those events, as terrible as they were, and say that the rest of our life would have been the same. As much as I wish we hadn't suffered through the bad times, there isn't a moment of the good that I want to change."

Tony shook his head. "I understand your logic, but it doesn't change the way I feel. You never deserved to suffer through those times the way you did." He stood up and walked back to the Christmas tree and replaced the ornament before she could say anything more. He looked at the tree for a long time before speaking again but finally, without looking at her spoke quietly. "I'm going to ask you a question and I want an honest answer."

"Tony, I'm always honest with you."

"I know, but this might be hard to answer honestly." He paused as he looked for the right words. "Are you ever sorry that you married me?"

"What?" Michelle asked her voice incredulous. "Why would you ever ask that, Tony?"

"Because I want to know. You've been put though hell and back because of me, Michelle. Look at what you've gone through. You went through your entire pregnancy with Sophie alone while I was in Argentina. You had both Sophie and Maria when I was gone. I can't imagine how lonely and scared you were. I just… I just can't help thinking that you would have been happier with someone else, someone who had been there when you needed him."

"Come here," Michelle said smiling softly and reaching her free hand out in front of her. Tony took her hand and kissed it as he knelt on one knee in front of her. "I have never, ever, not for one moment regretted marrying you, Tony Almeida. I've been through a lot of emotions but not one of them was ever regret. Not everyone is lucky enough to find a soul-mate, Tony, but I'm one of the lucky ones. From the first time we kissed that night in the hallway at CTU, I knew I wanted to get closer to you. The next night, against my better judgment, we ended up in bed together making the most incredible love I had ever known and I knew for sure that you were all I ever wanted. I knew by the gentle way you treated me and by how safe I felt in your arms that I never wanted another man to touch me again, that I wanted to have your children and spend my life with you. I still feel that way, Tony. Of all the scary things I've had to face since we've been married, the scariest was when I convinced myself that you were cheating on me. I still can't believe I ever thought that. But the truth is, Tony that I was more afraid that you had stopped loving me than of anything else that has ever happened. Your love means more to me than anything in this world."

They both leaned forward across Chloe and kissed deeply. They were in their own world and neither of them heard Joe come in the room.

"Yuck! Do you guys have to kiss all the time?" He asked.

They broke the kiss and laughed. "Did you need something, Buddy?" Tony asked him.

"I wanted you to go outside and play soccer with me."

"I need to clean up all of the boxes from the lights and the ornaments." Tony told him indicating the boxes cluttering the room.

"I'll clean up when Chloe's finished eating." Michelle told him. "You two go outside and play."

"Thanks, Mom! I'll go get the ball." Joe said as he ran out of the room.

"I'll be there in a minute." Tony called after him. He leaned over and stole one more kiss from Michelle. "What you said a few minutes ago, Michelle, was beautiful. One thing you never have to worry about is that I'll stop loving you; that can't happen. I will always love you with all of my heart and nothing can change that." He kissed her once more for emphasis before he ran outside to play with his son.

**THE END**

_Note to Grace- I think you have the stories confused. This is a sequel to Escape to Argentina, not a sequel to Carnival Town. In Carnival Town, Tony & Michelle had 3 kids, Ric, Lucy and Carmen. Kate and Jack's kids were also named Mason and Ryan in that story mostly because I couldn't think up more perfect names for their children and I had already mentioned in Escape that they had two boys and the second was named Ryan. I never named the first. If you read the Epilogue to Escape to Argentina you will find that the four Almeida children are the same in that story as in this. Hope that clears it up for you._


End file.
